HK Phil Kicks Off 2025/26 Season with Daniel Harding, Paul Lewis, and 
Epic Film Music by James Horner

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

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[18 August 2025, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is thrilled to announce the opening of its 2025/26 Season with a spectacular programme featuring renowned conductor Daniel Harding and acclaimed pianist Paul Lewis at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Before this exciting season kick-off, the HK Phil will celebrate with a pre-season programme dedicated to the epic movie music of legendary composer James Horner at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium.

Swire Denim Series: The Epic Movie Music of James Horner (12 & 13 September)

Join the HK Phil for a heartfelt tribute to James Horner, marking the 10th anniversary of his passing. Experience the sweeping melodies and cinematic brilliance that made him one of Hollywood’s most beloved composers. A classically trained musician celebrated for his masterful orchestrations and memorable themes, Horner created some of Hollywood’s most iconic soundtracks, spanning over 100 film scores, and garnering two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, and numerous Oscar nominations.

Led by internationally acclaimed conductor Sir Dirk Brossé, this programme includes beloved scores from The Rocketeer, Aliens, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Avatar, Braveheart, Legends of the Fall, Krull, Sneakers and Titanic. Multitalented, award-winning actress and vocalist Crisel Consunji will perform All Love Can Be from A Beautiful Mind and the timeless classic My Heart Will Go On from Titanic.

“Swire Denim Series: The Epic Movie Music of James Horner” will be held on 12 September 2025 (Fri) at 7:30PM and 13 September 2025 (Sat) at 3PM at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium. Tickets priced at HK$420, $320, $220 and $50 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Season Opening: Daniel Harding & Paul Lewis (18 & 19 September)

Currently the Music and Artistic Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding will launch the HK Phil’s new season with a captivating programme, featuring pianist Paul Lewis in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 25. As one of the foremost interpreters of the Central European piano repertoire, Paul Lewis has received universal critical acclaim for his performances and recordings. The concert will open with Haydn’s intense La passione symphony, infused with dark and violent emotion that captures the spirit of the Sturm und Drang movement.

The concert’s second half highlights Richard Strauss’s seventh tone poem Don Quixote, also known as “Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character”. With a prominent part for solo cello, it is often treated as a full-blown cello concerto, though the viola also plays a significant solo role alongside the cello. HK Phil Principals Andrew Ling and Richard Bamping step into the spotlight as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, guiding the audience on a whimsical and poignant journey between dream and reality.

“Season Opening: Daniel Harding & Paul Lewis” will be held on 18 and 19 September 2025 (Thu & Fri) at 7:30PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$880, $700, $520 and $380 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists

Dirk Brossé, conductor [full description]

Sir Dirk Brossé, an internationally acclaimed conductor and award-winning composer, is currently Conductor-Emeritus of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Artistic Director of Prima La Musica, and Music Director of The World Soundtrack Academy at Ghent Film Festival. In January 2024, he was appointed as Honorary Conductor of Sinfonietta Cracovia. He is also professor of composition and conducting at the School of Arts of the Royal Conservatory of Music at his hometown Ghent, Belgium.

Crisel Consunji, soprano [full description]

Crisel Consunji is an award-winning actress, singer, early childhood educator and entrepreneur. Known for her award-winning performance in the acclaimed 2018 Hong Kong film Still Human (HKFA Best New Performer winner, HKFA Best Actress nominee), Crisel’s roots in the performing arts goes back to her childhood, as a musical stage actress for Repertory Philippines. In 2008, she moved to Hong Kong to work as a vocalist for Hong Kong Disneyland, and has since been acclaimed for her projects on stage, film and TV. Her recent headlined concerts include A Night at the Musicals with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (2021) and Disney Live in Concert (Hong Kong Disneyland, 2022). 

Daniel Harding, conductor [full description]

Daniel Harding is Music and Artistic Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris from 2016-2019 and Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2007-2017. He is honoured with the lifetime title of Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, with whom he has worked for over 20 years. In 2024 he took up the position of Music Director of the Youth Music Culture, The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) for a five-year term, and in 2024/25 begins his position of Music Director of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. 

Paul Lewis, piano [full description]

Paul Lewis is one of the foremost interpreters of the Central European piano repertoire, his performances and recordings of Beethoven and Schubert receiving universal critical acclaim. He was awarded CBE for his services to music, and the sincerity and depth of his musical approach have won him fans around the world.

Andrew Ling, viola [full description]

Hong Kong-native Andrew Ling is a concert violist and violinist, conductor, and music educator. Currently Principal Violist of the HK Phil, Andrew has garnered acclaim for his orchestral playing and solo recitals worldwide. His appearances as concert soloist have included the HK Phil, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and the China Film Orchestra.

Richard Bamping, cello [full description]

Richard Bamping has been the Principal Cellist of the HK Phil since 1993. He has performed with many of the finest musicians of recent history—Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Leonidas Kavakos, Mstislav Rostropovich, Carlo Maria Guilini, Valery Gergiev, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, Sir Colin Davis and Claudio Abbado, to name but a few.

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Swire Denim Series: The Epic Movie Music of James Horner

12 & 13 | 9 | 2025

FRI 7:30PM

SAT 3PM

Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium

HK$420 $320 $220 $50

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

Film music composed by James Horner, including:

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Season Opening: Daniel Harding & Paul Lewis

18 & 19 | 9 | 2025

THU 7:30PM

FRI 7:30PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall 

HK$880 $700 $520 $380

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artist

Programme