HK Phil Welcomes New Music Director Tarmo Peltokoski
Mahler’s Colossal Symphony No. 8 Marks the Beginning of a New Era

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Dennis Wu
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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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[31 August 2026, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) embarks on an exciting new chapter with its new Music Director, Tarmo Peltokoski. To inaugurate his tenure, Peltokoski will lead the HK Phil in the orchestra’s long-awaited premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, bringing together an extraordinary roster of world-class soloists and choirs for a monumental musical event.

Tarmo Peltokoski said: “I am honoured and thrilled to embark on my first season as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. My inaugural concert will feature Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, a piece reserved for the most special and rare occasions. Known as the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’, it stands as one of the greatest human statements of the 20th century. This landmark performance for Hong Kong not only marks the HK Phil’s premiere of the work but also completes our long-awaited exploration of all of Mahler’s symphonies. It will be an unforgettable musical feast.”

Symphony of a Thousand: A Milestone for the HK Phil

Few works rival the scale and ambition of Mahler's Eighth Symphony. Nicknamed the "Symphony of a Thousand" for its enormous performing forces, it brings together a massive orchestra, multiple choirs, and eight vocal soloists. Composed in two parts, it combines the medieval Latin hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus with the final scene of Goethe's Faust. Peltokoski describes the work as "cosmic, universal, heavenly, uniting," and filled with "some of the deepest, most primitive aspects of our existence." This landmark performance marks the HK Phil's long-awaited first encounter with one of the greatest achievements in the orchestral repertoire.

Joining the performances are distinguished international and Hong Kong soloists Jacquelyn Wagner, Chen Reiss, Louise Kwong, Catriona Morison, Sasha Cooke, Tuomas Katajala, Rinalds Kandalincevs, and Shenyang, alongside a combined choir comprising the HK Phil Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, The Hong Kong Children’s Choir and The Learners Chorus.

Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski has been hailed as “a talent of a century” and “the Finnish wonder-conductor” by Tagesspiegel. In the 2026/27 season, he begins his tenure as Music Director of the HK Phil, having served as Music Director Designate in the preceding season. He also serves as Music Director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest. He is continuing his three-year residency as “Exklusivkünstler” at Konzerthaus Dortmund, which began in the 2025/26 season. He has been Principal Guest Conductor of The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2022.

In his inaugural season as the HK Phil’s Music Director, Peltokoski will conduct six major programmes, featuring monumental symphonic works, acclaimed guest artists, and the orchestra’s signature annual outdoor mega-concert. He will also lead the orchestra on a four-country, eight-city European tour, in addition to performances in Guangzhou and Beijing.

Ballot Arrangements

“Tarmo Peltokoski Conducts Mahler 8” will be held on 7 November 2026 (Sat) at 5PM and 8 November 2026 (Sun) at 3PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at $2,080, $1,480, $880 and $680 will be sold via real-name registration ballot ticketing arrangement. Online registration for the ballot will be accepted from 16 September 2026 (Wed) to 17 September 2026 (Thu) at URBTIX. Further details will be announced on the URBTIX website.

Concert Sponsor: Chow Sang Sang

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Artists

Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor[full description]

In the 2026/27 season, Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski begins his tenure as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, having served as Music Director Designate in the preceding season. He also serves as Music Director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest. He is continuing his three-year residency as “Exklusivkünstler” at Konzerthaus Dortmund, which began in the 2025/26 season. He has been Principal Guest Conductor of The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2022. Highlights of the 2026/27 season include his highly anticipated debut at the Bayreuther Festspiele with a new production of Lohengrin (July/August 2027) as well as a new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, which will open the 26/27 season at Zurich Opera.

Jacquelyn Wagner, Soprano as Magna Peccatrix[full description]

Jacquelyn Wagner is in high demand by such prestigious opera houses and festivals as the Paris Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Zurich Opera House, the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Salzburg Festival. With her "lovely clean and focused sound" (The New York Times), “silvery tone”, “a natural dignity and vocal command that” make her performances “highly impressive” (Opera News), the American soprano is enjoying resounding success in such different repertoire as Mozart, Handel, Verdi and Puccini, with a special focus on the German Fach and the iconic jugendlich-dramatische roles by Wagner, Strauss and Weber.

Chen Reiss, Soprano as Una poenitentium[full description]

Soprano Chen Reiss has established a strongly acclaimed and distinctive career, enchanting audiences with “one of the most perfect Strauss voices one could wish for” (Classical Source), “a voice of silver brightness and clarity” (Bachtrack) with “immaculately produced and enticing tone matched by superb musicianship” (Opera News, USA). She came to prominence as a member of the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera under the music directorship of Zubin Mehta and subsequently resident artist at the Vienna State Opera.

Louise Kwong, Soprano as Mater Gloriosa[full description]

Louise Kwong’s musical achievements were recognised by the HKSAR government when she was awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in 2019 and the Award for Young Artist (Music) in 2014 by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Internationally, Kwong made her debut at the Rome Opera House as Mimì in La bohème and as Micaëla in Carmen at Caracalla Rome in 2018. She has sung in various renowned performance venues, including the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and Graz Opera House of Austria. In 2017, she debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing in the role of Rita in opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet. 

Catriona Morison, Alto as Mulier Samaritana[full description]

Scottish mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, now at home in Berlin, gained international recognition in 2017 when she won both the Main Prize and the Song Prize at the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Since then, she has established herself as a versatile artist with a broad repertoire spanning the Baroque era to the late Romantic period – performing on the opera stage as well as in concert and recital settings.

Sasha Cooke, Alto as Maria Aegyptiaca[full description]

Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been praised for her “agile, glamorous presence” by Opéra Magazine and as a “luminous standout” by The New York Times. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over 90 symphony orchestras worldwide frequently in the works of Mahler. In 2022 Cooke was appointed at the Music Academy of the West as Co-Director of the Lehrer Vocal Institute. 

Tuomas Katajala, Tenor as Doctor Marianus[full description]

Finnish tenor Tuomas Katajala is one of the most versatile and sought-after Scandinavian tenors and has achieved noticeable success not just as an opera singer, but as a concert singer as well. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki as well as in Rome and Amsterdam and has a longstanding and close relationship with the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki and the Savonlinna Opera Festival, where he made his stage debut as Tamino (Die Zauberflöte). 

Rinalds Kandalincevs, Baritone as Pater Ecstaticus[full description]

Born in a small town called Ventspils on the west coast of Latvia. After first finishing studies at the Latvian Academy of Music, he obtained a master’s degree in performing arts at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2010. His stage career started back in 2004, with a small part in Latvian composer Janis Kalnin’s opera Hamlet. And soon after that many diverse musical projects followed, especially in the field of early music in cooperation with the baroque orchestra Collegium Musicum Riga. Roles of Orpheus were interpreted both in Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and in Giulio Caccini’s L’Euridice, Aeneas in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, vocal parts in Monteverdi’s Vespro, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Coffee Cantata and many, many others.

Shenyang, Bass as Pater Profundus[full description]

From the moment Shenyang won the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2007, his ascent to international prominence was assured. His career, defined by the elegance and precision of his singing, was launched to early acclaim for interpretations of Mozart, Rossini, and Handel but in recent years, Shenyang has ventured into more dramatic and psychologically complex repertoire, embracing the works of Beethoven, Strauss, and Wagner.

Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus [full description]

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus (HK Phil Chorus) has been delighting audiences since its inception in 1980. Over the years, it has showcased a diverse range of choral masterpieces in exclusive collaboration with the HK Phil. In 2013, the chorus launched an extensive recruitment campaign that attracted over 450 singers to audition. The newly formed ensemble made its debut with a performance of Handel’s Messiah and has gone on to sing major works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Britten, Haydn and Mahler.

London Philharmonic Choir[full description]

Founded in 1947 as the chorus for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Choir is widely regarded as one of Britain’s finest choirs. For the last seven decades the Choir has performed under leading conductors, consistently meeting with critical acclaim and recording regularly for television and radio. 

The Hong Kong Children's Choir [full description]

The Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC) was founded in 1969 as the first children’s choir in Hong Kong. HKCC is a registered non-profit-making charitable organisation and has made tremendous contributions for children’s arts training in Hong Kong. It is now the biggest choir in the world with over 5,000 members and has grown into a diversified arts organisation for children.

The Learners Chorus[full description]

The Learners Chorus was founded in 1979 by former members of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union Choir, and is today one of Hong Kong’s leading independent choirs, presenting large-scale choral repertoire with its orchestral partner, The Learners Orchestra, under Music Director Apollo Wong. Throughout its history the Chorus has commissioned new works from Hong Kong composers, helping to expand the local choral repertoire.

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Tarmo Peltokoski Conducts Mahler 8

7 & 8 | 11 | 2026

SAT 5PM & SUN 3PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$2,080 $1,480 $880 $680

Online ballot registration accepted from 16 Sep 2026 (Wed) to 17 Sep 2026 (Thu) at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

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