Shark Symphony

EVENT DESCRIPTION

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) announces the world premiere of Shark Symphony, an underwater musical for families brought to Hong Kong audiences by the award-winning makers of WILD (The Musical) and Bug Symphony. Shark Symphony promises a thrilling mix of live orchestral music, dance, acrobatics, cyr wheel and contortion performances, and at the same time dives deep into current global topics such as marine life sustainability.

The Story

The story of Shark Symphony follows two businessmen who open an underwater restaurant in Hong Kong offering responsibly caught seafood fare and spectacular views of the surrounding ocean life. The restaurant takes a nosedive when shark fin soup is served at a wedding banquet. Featuring a stunning cast from Hong Kong and Finland, Shark Symphony challenges us all to think twice about the real predator of the sea: human or shark?

The Creatives

Shark Symphony is an original work with story and lyrics by Leanne Nicholls and exhilarating music by Simon Whiteside (credits include Downton Abbey) and Finnish musician Antti Paalanen, known internationally for his trademark blend of folk accordion with dance beats and throat singing. The performance is presented and produced by City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and co-directed by Artistic Director and musician Leanne Nicholls and award-winning Norwegian actor and director/choreographer Morten Rudå. Set and lighting design is by Ernesto Maurice Corpus, hologram projection design by Gary Chan, sound design by Samuli Volanto, costume co-ordination by Yomi Cheng, and make-up and hair design by Aurora Corpus.

Post-Show Talk

A short post-show talk by the Hong Kong Shark Foundation will follow the performances.

20 Apr 2024 (Sat) 7:30pm
21 Apr 2024 (Sun) 3:00pm

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians experienced in playing a diverse range of music styles and genres including Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, East/West Crossover, Tango, Jazz, Cinema and Orchestra Theatre. Established since 1999, CCOHK has performed with many world-class artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Michala Petri, Christian Lindberg, Sarah Chang, Philippe Entremont, Julian Lloyd Webber, Edgar Meyer, Branford Marsalis, Richard Galliano, Sharon Isbin and Dawn Upshaw. Additional highlights include concerts with the Vienna Boys’ Choir, The American Boychoir, the Warsaw Boys Choir, the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir, the King’s Singers and the Swingle Singers. On tour CCOHK has been invited to perform in Italy, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and at the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. In Hong Kong, CCOHK’s engagements have included Hong Kong Ballet, French May Arts Festival, RTHK Radio 4’s televised Christmas Concerts in the Park, the World Harp Congress and The Hong Kong International Piano Competition. The orchestra’s CDs include world premiere recordings on four internationally acclaimed releases on the NAXOS, Orchid Classics, Forgotten Records and OUR Recordings labels. CCOHK’s passion for building young audiences for music has inspired the evolution of several new and fully staged musical productions and extravaganzas. Credits include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, Vivaldi Unmasked, The Bonn Man, Haydn & The Prince, WILD (The Musical) and Bug Symphony, winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Portugal 2017. At the helm of CCOHK’s artistic planning is CCOHK’s founder Leanne Nicholls who was awarded in the HKSAR’s Chief Executive’s 2022 Honours List for Community Service for her contributions to the development of classical music in Hong Kong. Chief conductors include French conductor Jean Thorel (2008 to 2016) and Armenian conductor and virtuoso pianist Vahan Mardirossian (since 2019).