South China Morning Post: Review | Young violin soloist captivates in Arvo Pärt work with Hong Kong string ensemble, veteran piano soloist doesn’t spare the horses in Grieg concerto
Variety is the spice of life. When a new ensemble emerges and offers something beyond the customary “meat-and-two-veg” billing (a symphony preceded by an overture and concerto) of the flagship orchestras, it adds richness to the music scene.
The Musicus Soloists of Hong Kong, an ensemble launched in 2022 by the Musicus Society and its founder, acclaimed cellist Trey Lee, should be commended both for their selection of repertoire and their performance at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on November 21.
The young players chose an unusual programme, including rarely aired gems by Grieg and Sibelius, and offered a glimpse into Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s world of “holy minimalism”, before performing Grieg’s revered Piano Concerto with a strings-only accompaniment directed from the keyboard by award-winning French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
South China Morning Post
By Christopher Halls
Variety is the spice of life. When a new ensemble emerges and offers something beyond the customary “meat-and-two-veg” billing (a symphony preceded by an overture and concerto) of the flagship orchestras, it adds richness to the music scene.
The Musicus Soloists of Hong Kong, an ensemble launched in 2022 by the Musicus Society and its founder, acclaimed cellist Trey Lee, should be commended both for their selection of repertoire and their performance at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on November 21.
The young players chose an unusual programme, including rarely aired gems by Grieg and Sibelius, and offered a glimpse into Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s world of “holy minimalism”, before performing Grieg’s revered Piano Concerto with a strings-only accompaniment directed from the keyboard by award-winning French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
Read more here.
South China Morning Post: ‘Elite’ string ensemble a showcase for Hong Kong’s musical talent, says founder Trey Lee
On November 26, a Hong Kong string ensemble will make its debut at Musicus Fest’s 10th anniversary concert, a celebration of classical music launched in the city in 2013 by the cellist Trey Lee.
The ensemble, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong, intends to help its young members stand out as individual performers and nurture their careers, according to Lee.
For the past 10 years, as well as staging the Musicus Fest, Lee’s Musicus Society charity has tirelessly championed home-grown talent and taken classical music to Hong Kong schools through education programmes, the commissioning of new works and concerts around the world.
South China Morning Post
By Enid Tsui
On November 26, a Hong Kong string ensemble will make its debut at Musicus Fest’s 10th anniversary concert, a celebration of classical music launched in the city in 2013 by the cellist Trey Lee.
The ensemble, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong, intends to help its young members stand out as individual performers and nurture their careers, according to Lee.
For the past 10 years, as well as staging the Musicus Fest, Lee’s Musicus Society charity has tirelessly championed home-grown talent and taken classical music to Hong Kong schools through education programmes, the commissioning of new works and concerts around the world.
Read more here.
South China Morning Post: Passing the baton: Chinese conductors finally get their chance on the big stage
After years of relying on Westerners, symphony orchestras across China are turning to a fresh generation of Chinese musical directors.
South China Morning Post (via AFP)
Julien Girault (AFP)
After years of relying on Westerners, symphony orchestras across China are turning to a fresh generation of Chinese musical directors.
Jing Huan, one of a new generation of Chinese conductors, performing in Beijing (AFP Photo/WANG Zhao)
Jing Huan twirls her conductor's baton nervously in the wings while the brass and string sections of China's Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra tune their instruments.
Aged 36, Jing is part of a new breed of foreign-trained conductors, as China hopes to gain recognition in the field after winning global fame for its soloists, including piano and string virtuosos...
Last year her orchestra performed on a prestigious Beijing stage as part of a "musical marathon" that saw nine ensembles play one after another to mark the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Music Festival...
China has come a long way however, said Long Yu, 54, artistic director of the Shanghai and Guangzhou symphony orchestras, and founder of the Beijing Music Festival.
"I grew up in Shanghai in the midst of the Cultural Revolution," a period of political turmoil from 1966-1976 during which Western music was banned, the maestro told AFP.
Long secretly learned the piano from his grandfather, a renowned composer, and in the 1980s became one of the first Chinese musicians to study abroad as the Communist government started to open up to the rest of the world.
South China Morning Post: Yo-Yo Ma China Music Camp - Youth Music Culture Guangdong
Nine days of classes in Guangzhou take students out of their comfort zone – and Ma, the event’s musical director, is always on hand to encourage, advise and inspire them to experiment and try the unknown
South China Morning Post
Bernice Chan
Nine days of classes in Guangzhou take students out of their comfort zone – and Ma, the event’s musical director, is always on hand to encourage, advise and inspire them to experiment and try the unknown.
Yo-Yo Ma and Australian-Chinese cellist Rachel Siu high-five. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
They all wear sweatshirts bearing the letters YMCG, which stand for “Youth Music Culture Guangdong”. Amid the sea of black shirts it is difficult to spot the music camp’s artistic director, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, until he stands up on the conductor’s podium.
The aim of the music camp is “deep learning”, Ma says, in which the students make connections with the people they meet, but also discovering what links classical music composers such as Beethoven and the improvisational Silk Road Ensemble that Ma founded in 1998.
It is the second such annual musical camp hosted by Ma in the southern Chinese metropolis. Participation is free for those who pass video auditions, as is food and accommodation. Students’ only expense is the cost of their travel to Guangzhou.
Read the full article and watch a video about Youth Music Culture Guangdong here.