The line-up for one of Asia’s most prestigious classical festivals, the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, has been announced, with Taiwanese-American violinist Cho-Liang Lin as artistic director for the January 2016 edition.Now in its 7th year, the festival organized by the Premiere Performances of Hong Kong has come to attract world-renowned orchestras and soloists, with multi-Grammy winning The Emerson Quartet from New York taking top billing at the event, which will run January 20-27.Promising to take audiences “on a musical journey,” the opening night titled “Gypsy Spirit” will take place at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall on January 20 at 8pm (tickets pricked at HKD $600, $400, $280, $180), with three performances.First Martin Beaver, Paul Neubauer, and Gary Hoffman will open with the “Serenade for String Trio in C Major, Op. 10” by Hungary’s Dohnányi, written when the composer was just 26. Zhang Zuo, Jon Kimura Parker, James Boznos and Rieko Koyama will then perform Béla Bartók’s expressive piece, “Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110,” followed by a stage performance by Cho-Liang Lin himself, alongside Toby Hoffman, Clive Greensmith, Jon Kimura Parker as they play Brahms’ “Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25,” considered a dark piece that nevertheless inspires with its “Gypsy Rondo” section.The festival, held annually since launching in 2009, has fast become the most significant early event of the year in the musical calendar of Hong Kong. This time around the Hong Kong City Hall will with the host five concerts, with the Grand Hall in the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre at Hong Kong University also staging performances, and for the first time, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum will be used as a venue too.Amongst the international guests will be former members of the Tokyo String Quartet, Martin Beaver and Clive Greensmith, pianists Jon Kimura Parker Zhang Zuo, and festival regulars Clara-Jumi Kang, Gary Hoffman, and Paul Neubauer.Some 20 educational will coincide with the shows, with former concertmaster of the Nash Ensemble and renowned violinist, Britain’s Leo Phillips, heading up an Outreach program, to be held at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. The entire program will include instrumental masterclasses for music students, chamber music coaching and a series of lectures talks “Classical Insights,” by Dennis Wu and Dr. Maureen Buja. Dr. Buja will present a two-part lecture called “A Listener’s Guide to Classical Music,” while musical demonstrations will be staged by local Hong Kong musicians including Evelyn Chang, Euna Kim, the RTHK Quartet, and Warren Lee.Here is the full line-up of international performers, including those from mainland China and Taiwan:• Cho-Liang Lin, violin (Artistic Director)• DaXun Zhang, double bass• Zhang Zuo, piano• The Emerson Quartet (USA)• Martin Beaver, violin (Canada)• Clive Greensmith, cello (UK)• Gary Hoffman, cello (USA)• Toby Hoffman, viola (USA)• Clara-Jumi Kang, violin (Korea/Germany)• Paul Neubauer, viola (USA)• Jon Kimura Parker, piano (Canada)• Leo Phillips, violin (UK)
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