Music Director Tarmo Peltokoski and HK Phil
Embark on Landmark Four-Country, Eight-City European Tour
20 OCT 2026
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
[20 October 2026, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) will embark on a landmark four-country, eight-city European tour from 23 November to 6 December 2026, marking the first international tour of the orchestra under Music Director Tarmo Peltokoski. Joined by renowned pianist Martin Helmchen, Peltokoski and the HK Phil will bring Hong Kong’s unique spirit to audiences across Europe, with debut performances at several of the continent’s prestigious concert halls.
The tour showcases the musical partnership between Peltokoski and the HK Phil through a programme that combines orchestral grandeur, virtuosity, and contemporary creativity. At its heart are Wagner’s The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure, arranged by Henk de Vlieger, and Bruckner’s Symphony no. 4, Romantic. Helmchen joins the orchestra in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 24 and Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals, in which Peltokoski takes on the dual role of pianist and conductor. Yao Chen’s Waltz of the Rolling Giants, a new HK Phil commission inspired by the giant panda and written especially for the orchestra’s China and European tours this season, will open the performances in Helsinki, Dortmund, Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna.
Tarmo Peltokoski said: "As the new Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, I am thrilled to lead the orchestra on this special European tour. It is a great honour to bring the HK Phil for the very first time to some of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. I am equally looking forward to our performance at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, my home country. Together with our wonderful soloist Martin Helmchen, we will present diverse programmes featuring works that are especially close to my heart. Our shared experiences on and off the stage strengthen our bond and bring profound depth to our music-making. My heartfelt gratitude goes to our international team and our sponsors who have made this tour across eight European cities possible."
This tour comes by invitation from some of the world’s most distinguished presenters and iconic concert halls. The tour itinerary is as follows:
- Barcelona, Spain: Palau de la Música Catalana | 23 November (Presented by Fundació Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música)
- Hanover, Germany: Hannover Congress Centrum | 25 November (Presented by Dorn Music GmbH & Co. KG)
- Helsinki, Finland: Musiikkitalo | 28 November (Presented by Dorn Music GmbH & Co. KG)
- Munich, Germany: Herkulessaal der Residenz München | 30 November (Presented by Live Nation GmbH)
- Dortmund, Germany: Konzerthaus Dortmund | 2 December (Presented by Konzerthaus Dortmund GmbH)
- Berlin, Germany: Berliner Philharmonie | 3 December (Presented by Live Nation GmbH)
- Hamburg, Germany: Elbphilharmonie | 5 December – SOLD OUT (Presented by HamburgMusik gGmbH)
- Vienna, Austria: Wiener Konzerthaus | 6 December (Presented by Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft)
The tour highlight in Dortmund carries special significance, as Peltokoski continues his three-year tenure as “Exklusivkünstler” at Konzerthaus Dortmund — a residency that launched in the 2025/26 season.
This European journey also follows a historic recording milestone: the HK Phil released its debut album on Deutsche Grammophon in March 2026, featuring Richard Wagner’s The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure (arranged by Henk de Vlieger) under Peltokoski’s baton. Marking a new chapter in the orchestra’s international recording profile, European audiences will have the opportunity to hear this monumental work performed live by the orchestra and conductor.
Adding further momentum to this international moment, Peltokoski was recently announced to make his debut at the Bayreuther Festspiele in July/August 2027 with a new production of Lohengrin — making him the youngest conductor in history to ever take the podium at the Wagnerian festival.
The performances in Dortmund, Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna are designated as a 2026 China National Arts Fund Supported Project, supported by Lottery Public Welfare Funds – China Welfare Lottery and China Sports Lottery. The European tour is also sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Berlin, Brussels, and London of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Air China is the Official Airline Partner of HK Phil’s European Tour 2026.
Prior to the European tour, Hong Kong audiences can experience Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 24 and Bruckner’s Symphony no. 4 performed by Helmchen and the HK Phil under the baton of Peltokoski on 17 & 18 November 2026 (Tue & Wed) at 7:30pm in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$880, $700, $520, $380 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.
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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 opened the 2026/27 season at Zurich Opera.
Martin Helmchen, piano [full description]
German pianist Martin Helmchen has been performing on the world’s most prestigious stages for two decades and is one of the most sought-after pianists of today. His originality and intensity of interpretation, which he presents with impressive tonal sensitivity and technical finesse, sets him apart as a musician. In 2020 he was honoured with the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Award. Martin Helmchen has embarked on a complete Schubert sonata recording cycle, with Volume 1 released in October 2025. The Times commented: “Martin Helmchen has proved himself technically brilliant, unfailingly sensitive, thoughtful and completely at the music’s service… Helmchen’s blissful concentration of strength, poetry, and poise. Volume 2 of this series can’t come soon enough.”
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Tarmo Peltokoski Conducts Bruckner 4
17 & 18 | 11 | 2026
TUE & WED 7:30PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$880 $700 $520 $380
Tickets now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above
Artists
conductor | |
| piano |
Programme
MOZART | Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K. 491 |
BRUCKNER | Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, Romantic |
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HK Phil European Tour
Barcelona
23 | 11 | 2026
MON 8PM
Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Spain
€90 €70 €45 €30 €18
Programme
MOZART | Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K. 491 |
BRUCKNER | Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, Romantic |
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Hanover
25 | 11 | 2026
WED 7:30PM
Kuppelsaal, Hannover Congress Centrum, Germany
€87 €73 €58 €42 €26
https://feverup.com/m/598772/en?srsltid=AfmBOoqNw-6R33gOLgT4j41v_yh6A8c7lU9Lcd3bEjfxQGuoe9Sh3NjF
Programme
MOZART | Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K. 491 |
BRUCKNER | Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, Romantic |
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Helsinki
28 | 11 | 2026
SAT 7PM
Musiikkitalo, Helsinki, Finland
€125 €92 €74 €51 €35
Programme
YAO Chen | Waltz of the Rolling Giants (HK Phil Commission) |
SAINT-SAËNS | The Carnival of the Animals |
WAGNER (arr. Henk DE VLIEGER) | The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure
|
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Munich
30 | 11 | 2026
MON 8PM
Herkulessaal der Residenz München, Munich, Germany
€100.95 €84.85 €68.75 €51.50 €34.25
Programme
MOZART | Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K. 491 |
BRUCKNER | Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, Romantic |
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Dortmund
2 | 12 | 2026
WED 7:30PM
Konzerthaus Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
€99 €89 €77 €61 €40 €20
Programme
YAO Chen | Waltz of the Rolling Giants (HK Phil Commission) |
SAINT-SAËNS | The Carnival of the Animals |
WAGNER (arr. Henk DE VLIEGER) | The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure
|
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Berlin
3 | 12 | 2026
THU 8PM
Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
€91.75 €74.50 €60.70 €44.60 €30.80
Programme
YAO Chen | Waltz of the Rolling Giants (HK Phil Commission) |
SAINT-SAËNS | The Carnival of the Animals |
WAGNER (arr. Henk DE VLIEGER) | The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure
|
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Hamburg
5 | 12 | 2026
SAT 8PM
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
€115 €95 €65 €35 €15
Sold out
Programme
YAO Chen | Waltz of the Rolling Giants (HK Phil Commission) |
SAINT-SAËNS | The Carnival of the Animals |
WAGNER (arr. Henk DE VLIEGER) | The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure
|
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Vienna
6 | 12 | 2026
SUN 7:30PM
Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
€85 €79 €66 €56 €42 €29
Programme
YAO Chen | Waltz of the Rolling Giants (HK Phil Commission) |
SAINT-SAËNS | The Carnival of the Animals |
WAGNER (arr. Henk DE VLIEGER) | The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure
|
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