Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Artistic Director and Chief Conductor: Edo de Waart

"Under the leadership of Edo de Waart, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has already become one of Asia's top orchestras."
- Gramophone China

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) is one of Asia's leading orchestras. Enriching Hong Kong's cultural life for over a century, the Orchestra has grown into a formidable ensemble of Chinese and international talents in the last three decades, attracting world-class artists to perform on the same stage. HKPO annually touches the lives of 200,000 music lovers through more than 150 performances.

Under the leadership of its internationally renowned conductor Edo de Waart, who recently extended his artistic direction of the Orchestra to 2012, HKPO continues to scale new heights in musical excellence. The continuing cycle of Mahler symphonies, opera in concert performances and challenging programming outside the traditional repertoire, have become highly anticipated events as well as musical milestones for the Orchestra. HKPO also creates memorable experiences for Hong Kong audiences by collaborating with celebrity artists, such as tenor José Carreras, Maestro Charles Dutoit and sopranos Renée Fleming and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

From April 2006, The Swire Group Charitable Trust became the Hong Kong Philharmonic's Principal Patron, enabling Maestro de Waart's artistic vision for the Orchestra to be realized. Swire's sponsorship of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the largest in the Orchestra's history, supports artistic growth and development as the Orchestra takes its place on the world stage, and brings performances of musical excellence to the widest possible public.

HKPO stays in tune with our city by presenting the orchestra in unexpected venues and bringing the excitement of the concert experience to every home through radio and television broadcasts. These included, in the 07/08 Season, the biggest outdoor symphonic concert of the year, Swire Symphony Under the Stars at Happy Valley. The Orchestra runs a comprehensive schools education programme, HSBC Creative Notes, bringing the joy of classical music to primary, secondary and special school kids, and once in a while, the Orchestra drops the formality of the classical concerts to crossover with Western and Chinese pop stars.

The Orchestra also builds its reputation and raises its artistic standards by touring. HKPO made its début performance at the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival in May 2007 and was hailed as "one of Asia's top orchestras". In October 2007, de Waart led the Orchestra in an extremely successful all-Wagner concert at the 10th Beijing Music Festival, winning critical acclaim. This January, HKPO made a brilliant début at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou.

In February, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council honoured the HKPO with the Arts Promotion Award, in recognition of its success in expanding its audience base and gaining public support in recent years.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.