Musicus Society Presents
Musicus Fest 2014
A Meeting of Renowned Artists from across the World
An Annual Music Event for All
A recipient of this year's Springboard Grant under the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Musicus Society – with its mission of bridging cultures through music, will invite over 33 distinguished artists from around the world for its 2nd annual Musicus Fest to be held from November 27 until December 1, 2014. The festival will include a series of exceptional concerts and community events that will sure to thrill Hong Kong’s music lovers.
Trey Lee, the Artistic Director:
"Musicus Fest 2014 presents artists from some of classical music's most hallowed traditions, such as Yuri Bashmet, a paragon of the esteemed Russian school of music. Therefore, it is with immense pleasure that I welcome Maestro Bashmet, the Moscow Soloists, and all of this year's inspirational masters from around the world to Hong Kong as we embark upon another unforgettable week of musical discoveries and exchanges."
Stars from East and West Collaborate on Timeless Masterpieces
Breguet's Celebration of Excellence proudly presents the Opening Concert on November 27 at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall and the Chamber Music Gala on November 29 at City Hall Theater. In the former, internationally acclaimed cellist Trey Lee will join Russian virtuoso violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet and the Grammy Award winning Moscow Soloists on stage. Highlights include Tchaikovsky's exquisitely poignant Andante Cantabile for Cello & String Orchestra (according to Tchaikovsky's diary, a work so touching that it moved the great Tolstoy to tears), Tan Dun’s Eternal Vow for Viola & Orchestra, (a work inspired by the composer's Oscar-winning score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and later rearranged as a dedication to Yuri Bashmet for his 60th birthday), and technically breathtaking concertos from Paganini and Boccherini. The concert will culminate with another Russian masterpiece, Tchaikovsky's monumentalSouvenir de Florence.
The Chamber Music Gala gathers eight celebrated artists from around the world for performances of works from Beethoven to Shostakovich. The evening will feature Trey Lee with: Vladimir Mendelssohn (Romania), Artistic Director of the Kuhmo Festival and scion of one of Europe's most important musical families; two world acclaimed violinists – Dong-Suk Kang (Korea) and Ning Feng (China); the distinguished cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson (Finland); Hong Kong's very own international prize winning pianists Colleen Lee and Rachel Cheung; and principal violist of Hong Kong Philharmonic Andrew Ling.
Sponsored by UNICEF HK, the closing concert Musicus Fest Encore on November 30 at Sha Tin Town Hall gathers all festival artists including pipa player Shiu Pui Yee Belle and erhu player Wong Chi Chung, to perform alongside local young artists onstage. The lineup also includes Musicus Heritage community concerts at University Museum and Art Gallery (University of Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre (Kowloon Park), as well as master classes and school visits led by festival artists. And for the first time, Musicus Fest will travel outside of Hong Kong to perform at the Shenzhen Concert Hall, bringing its engaging blend of world-class artistry with cross-cultural collaborations to a wider audience.
