HK Phil in June:
Anja Bihlmaier Conducts Beethoven 5 and
Long Yu Conducts Joe Hisaishi and Brahms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: 
Dennis Wu
Director of Marketing 
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: dennis.wu@hkphil.org 

Emily Hui
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: emily.hui@hkphil.org

Download Here

[21 May 2026, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is pleased to announce two programmes in June 2026. German conductor Anja Bihlmaier returns with an all-Beethoven programme, while HK Phil Principal Conductor Long Yu leads the orchestra in a programme that interweaves the soundscapes of Joe Hisaishi and Brahms. Tickets are now available at URBTIX.

Anja Bihlmaier Conducts Beethoven 5 (12 & 13 June)

Praised by The Times for her “natural ease, musical rigour and feel for pacing and phrasing”, Anja Bihlmaier returns with an all-Beethoven programme. Joining her is Czech violinist Josef Špaček, who is known for his “fluent technique and expressive finesse,” and described by The Guardian as “coolly contained Špaček”. He makes his HK Phil debut in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. The concert opens with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture no. 3 and culminates in the composer’s Symphony no. 5.

“Anja Bihlmaier Conducts Beethoven 5” will be held on 12 June 2026 (Fri) at 7:30PM and 13 June 2026 (Sat) at 5PM at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$520, $420, $320 and $220 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Long Yu Conducts Joe Hisaishi and Brahms (19 & 20 June)

Joe Hisaishi transcends traditional movie scores, crafting evocative melodies that resonate across diverse musical landscapes. Similarly, Brahms, a prominent figure of the Romantic period, expanded classical symphonic traditions with innovative ideas in his four symphonies. In the concerts, Berlin Philharmonic’s First Principal Viola Diyang Mei joins Long Yu and the HK Phil to present a programme that intertwines the rich emotions of the two composers from different times. Highlights include Hisaishi’s “Merry-Go-Round” and “Cave of Mind” from Howl’s Moving Castle, along with his Viola Saga. The evening culminates with Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, a masterpiece that showcases the depth and complexity found in both composers’ works.

“Long Yu Conducts Joe Hisaishi and Brahms” will be held on 19 June 2026 (Fri) at 7:30PM and 20 June 2026 (Sat) at 5PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$520, $420, $320 and $220 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

***

Artists

Anja Bihlmaier, conductor [full description]

Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic since September 2024, Anja Bihlmaier has become a firm favourite at the BBC Proms where she appears annually. In the 2025/26 season, she conducts for the first time the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and Orchestre National de Lyon, returning to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Madrid National, Helsinki Philharmonic, Berlin Konzerthausorchester, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Sydney and Melbourne symphonies. She continues her residency at the Bonn Beethovenfest conducting the DSO Berlin, with whom she performed in the Berlin Musikfest in Sep 2025. Last season she debuted with the Seattle Symphony, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic, all of whom have reinvited.

Josef Špaček, violin [full description]

Praised for his remarkable range of colours, his confident and concentrated stage presence, his virtuosity and technical poise as well as the beauty of his tone Josef Špaček has gradually emerged as one of the leading violinists of his generation. His performances of a wide range of repertoire demonstrate his “astonishing articulation and athleticism” (The Scotsman) and “a richness and piquancy of timbre” (The Telegraph). 

Long Yu, conductor [full description]

Hailed by The New York Times as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene,” conductor and impresario Long Yu has devoted his illustrious career to steering China’s growing connection to classical music. Maestro Yu currently holds the top position in the country’s most prominent orchestras: Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, co-director of Shanghai’s Music in the Summer Air festival, and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival. He is currently Vice President of the China Musicians Association and Chairman of its League of China Orchestras.

Diyang Mei, viola [full description]

Ever since violist Diyang Mei’s brilliant success at the 2018 ARD International Music Competition, winning first prize and all other special prizes in the viola category, he has been steadily furthering his international career. He has served as First Principal Viola of Berliner Philharmoniker since 2022, and was Viola Principal of the Munich Philharmonic from 2019 to 2022. He also teaches as a visiting professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

***

Anja Bihlmaier Conducts Beethoven 5

12 & 13 | 6 | 2026

FRI 7:30PM & SAT 5PM

Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall 

HK$520 $420 $320 $220

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

***

Long Yu Conducts Joe Hisaishi and Brahms

19 & 20 | 6 | 2026

FRI 7:30PM & SAT 5PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall 

HK$520 $420 $320 $220

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme