About the event
"Pure and resonant tone, attentive phrasing and outstanding fingers"
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE (on Vilém Veverka)
"Feisty performances"
THE NEW YORK TIMES (on Kateřina Englichová)
As Smetana once said, “in music is the life of the Czechs.” Two outstanding interpreters of the Czech repertoire - oboist Vilém Veverka and harpist Kateřina Englichová - join CCOHK and guest conductor Sharon Andrea Choa for a concert to mark the Year of Czech Music. Martinů’s Oboe Concerto with its joie de vivre and daring rhythmic twists and turns for the soloist is a must-hear. Czech folk music elements further delight in Suk’s breezy Serenade for Strings, Lukáš’ rhythmically vibrant Concert Music for Harp and Strings and in a fantastical solo harp adaptation of Smetana’s Die Moldau. The well-established Czech duo will offer us some of the finest oboe and harp playing you will ever hear as they cap the evening with an oboe adaptation of Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto.
About the organizer
CCOHK
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).