Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo 2026 Partner Programme: A Hong Kong Sound Palette

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Loo Sze-wang is a prize-winning and the foremost sheng (Chinese mouth-organ) virtuoso of his generation in Hong Kong, championing both traditional and contemporary repertoires. Equally active as soloist and chamber musician, he has performed at major events including the Melbourne Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, Buenos Aires International Music Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, New Vision Arts Festival, and Chinese Composers’ Festival. He has also toured extensively with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta across North America, France, Poland, Lithuania, Argentina, Brazil, Beijing, and Shanghai. Loo co-founded Chinese Music Virtuosi, a Chinese instrumental ensemble of six players, with the aim to promote traditional and contemporary Chinese music.

Praised as “Hong Kong’s foremost string quartet” by the South China Morning Post, Cong Quartet has earned international recognition with First Prize and the Adolfo Betti Award at Virtuoso & Belcanto’s Chamber Music Competition in Italy (2022) and First Prize at the Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Competition in Tokyo (2019). The ensemble has performed at prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and serves as Ensemble-in-Residence at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2019–2022 and 2025–present).

Music Director Emeritus/Conductor: Yip Wing-sie
Sheng: Loo Sze-wang (HKS Artist Associate 2012-2013)
Cong Quartet: Francis Chik Yiu-ting (Violin), Ayaka Ishiwatari (Violin), Caleb Wong (Viola), Cheng Yan-ho (Cello)
Composer: Charles Kwong (HKS Artist Associate 2020-2022)

Programme

Charles Kwong
Sheng Concerto “Horizons” (world première)
Commissioned by Hong Kong Sinfonietta

Benjamin Lees
Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra (1964) (Hong Kong première)

Dvořák
Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88