For the first time in Hong Kong Zingaro will present spectacular equestrian show, Battuta. Photo by Antoine Poupel
	Teatro Regio di Parma will present Verdi’s monumental opera, Rigoletto
	Vladimir Jurowski leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Hong Kong's premier performing arts event returns next month with another feast for the senses featuring a galaxy of international star performances.

The festival has established a strong tradition for bringing the best international talent to Hong Kong. This year, in its 36th year, audiences will again delight in a programme of over 100 performances and events by 30-plus performing groups. Highlights will include the New York Philharmonic, Stuggart Ballet and Pina Bausch, to name just a few. For the first time in Hong Kong the festival will also introduce the equestrian spectacular, Zingaro.

In 13 different venues over a period of four weeks (February 14 – March 16) the Hong Kong Arts Festival will present a wonderful selection of opera, orchestral concerts, ballet, modern jazz and dance, along with modern drama and new twists to classical favourites. As festival Chairman Charles Lee says, this eagerly anticipated annual event covers many disciplines and interests, offering something for everyone.

In fact, so popular have been the early ticket sales that the organisers have scheduled extra shows for several key performances.

World’s top performing artists

Acts are chosen to represent the very best from the world of performing arts, including productions that are remarkable, thought-provoking and visionary. Festival Executive Director Tisa Ho says there is "significant star power" in the 2008 festival, where distinguished talents from the Hong Kong and international performing arts communities "conjure up enchantment" and promise memorable performances.

Many of the artists in this festival are major pioneering creative forces, she points out.

Opening the festival will be the spectacular Stuttgart Ballet in their ground-breaking rendition of the classic Swan Lake. Equally grand in scale and detail will be Teatro Regio di Parma’s production of Verdi’s monumental opera, Rigoletto.

Orchestral music lovers will be delighted by the presence of two of the world’s leading orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The London Philharmonic Choir will also sing on separate evenings, while the soprano voices of Trio Mediaeval will sing their soaring renditions of 13th Century a cappella music and Norwegian ballads.

World luminaries participating in the 2008 Hong Kong Arts Festival include virtuoso pianist András; Schiff; multi-talented pianist Joanna MacGregor; legendary statesman of jazz Ornette Coleman; the ‘Sun’ of Latin music Eddie Palmieri; and the Andalusian-born flamenco guitarist, Tomatito. In dance, Pina Bausch and her dance-theatre troupe will present their ‘wet and wild’, 2006 production Vollmond.

Zingaro, which means gypsy in Spanish and Italian, is a co-presentation by Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Featuring actors, musicians and 36 horses flown in from France, the show will be staged in a purpose-built tent, its feats displaying the incredible bond between horse and rider.

Rising young stars

The festival also puts the spotlight on a selection of young, rising stars. Among them will be powerful and promising jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, Hong Kong-born composer Ng Cheuk-yin also with his musical reflection of Hong Kong’s cultural influences, and Pius Cheung, a deft and agile marimba player. The city’s major music ensembles, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, will both participate in the festival.

Since encouraging new work is a cornerstone of the festival’s mission, two commissioned theatre pieces – Titus Andronicus and The Shape of Things – will add to the growing body of work created by Hong Kong’s theatre talent.

There will also be a wide range of workshops, meet-the-artist sessions, background talks, master classes, youth programmes and other events in the Festival PLUS programme. The Young Friends Scheme continues to be a strong aspect of the Festival’s work, in nurturing and stimulating interest in the arts among secondary school and university students.

The 2008 festival will cost HK$70 million (US$900,000) to stage. Full programme and booking details are available on the festival web site.

Related links
Hong Kong Arts Festival 
Zingaro