Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel will bring his charismatic conducting style to Hong Kong Arts Festival from 2 – 6 November. LA Phil’s famous music and artistic director will lead the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (SBSOV) in a five-concert series of performances that will see the musicians take on Beethoven’s complete nine symphony cycle – a first for HK audiences.
“The Bolívars”, as they are nicknamed have recently completed an ambitious European tour of Beethoven’s complete symphonies in March, for this they performed at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música, Hamburg’s new Elbphilharmonie, and Vienna’s Musikverein.
The ambitious concert series, which is co-presented by Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, will embrace the human themes of the heroic power, romance, fate, nature and love and be strengthened by a month-long series of education and community outreach activities.
In the spirit of El Sistema, the programme will feature free events to accompany the concert performances. The panel-led forum, Changing Young Lives, One Note At A Time, hosted by keynote speaker Eduardo Méndez, executive director of El Sistema, will share the organisation’s music vision for communities.
Despite his lofty status, Dudamel won’t just be peering down from up high on his podium. Instead, he will promote the value of music education by conducting a special open rehearsal with the winners of the 2017 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Meanwhile, SBSOV musicians will pass the baton by visiting selected youth orchestras and children’s groups. At a series of documentary screenings, the inspiring story of the El Sistema movement will be given AV momentum and one showing will be followed by a discussion with members of SBSOV.
HKAF hope the special El Sistema themed programme will reach over 12,000 audience members and participants.
Tickets for the five concerts are available from URBTIX outlets from 7 July 2017, 10am, onwards. Event and registration details of the free community outreach activities will be available on a dedicated website in September: