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City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong pays homage to the legendary French pianist, jazzman and composer Claude Bolling with an electrifying jazz-for-all programme showcasing Hong Kong’s best jazz performers. The concert to be held on Tuesday 01 June 2021 at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall at 8:00pm, is presented as part of the French May Arts Festival 2021 and is headlined by Hong Kong’s award-winning jazz pianist Patrick Lui with associated guest artists Sylvain Gagnon on bass and Nate Wong on drums. Vahan Mardirossian will conduct this exceptional jazz and classical tour de force. Prior to the concert at 7.15pm he will share memories of Claude Bolling in a short pre-concert talk for ticket holders to Rolling with Bolling at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.
Claude Bolling passed away on 29 December 2020 aged 92 and is celebrated today as one of the major figures of twentieth century music. His legacy is widely recognized in the film industry where he wrote soundtracks to more than a hundred films featuring big stars such Brigitte Bardot and Juliette Gréco. He is also known for having invented crossover music and for bringing jazz into the classical world. His Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano Trio is a brilliant crossover feat and brings Latin, ragtime, stomp and free modern jazz styles into an orchestral setting. Premiered and recorded in 1983 by the English Chamber Orchestra, this suite demonstrates Bolling at his creative best and presents fluid and free jazz in every style imaginable. CCOHK is excited to perform this work in Hong Kong for the first time with a local Jazz Piano Trio comprising Patrick Lui, Sylvain Gagnon and Nate Wong.
The programme also includes the Hong Kong premiere of the Suite for Piano, Strings & Harp by the Grammy-award winning Latin king Michel Camilo. Performed by Patrick Lui, Camilo's work offers dazzling keyboard work and a melange of jazz and Latin rhythms to further delight the ear.
Pianist and composer/arranger Patrick Lui is the winner of the prestigious Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards 2020-2021 for Jazz Composition. He has appeared worldwide at many renowned music festivals including JENerations Jazz Festival (USA), EUROPAfest, Taichung Jazz Festival and Kanazawa JAZZ STREET. His collaborations in the Canto Pop music industry with RubberBand has led to an album entitled Easy which he co-produced. The album won the prestigious ‘Album of The Year’ by Commercial Radio Hong Kong in 2012.
Sylvain Gagnon enjoys an extensive international touring and recording career as a virtuoso jazz bassist. He is experienced in performing a variety of styles including standard jazz, rock, Carnatic music from South India, African music, funk and big band music. Hong Kong drummer Nate Wong is known for his versatility and performs internationally. He is the founder of bands Nowhere Boys, Wong Way Down, Good Funk Shui, a drummer for the pop icon Sammi Cheng and a member of the World touring band Dock in Absolute.
Tickets priced at $450, $350, $220, with half-price concessions for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients, are available from all URBTIX outlets. For ticketing enquiries, call 3761 6661; for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for programme or other enquiries, call 2864 2151 or email [email protected].
For photos, artist interviews and further MEDIA ENQUIRIES please contact Ms. Katie Cheuk at 2864 2151 or via email: [email protected].
For more information on CCOHK go to www.ccohk.com / www.facebook.com/ccohk
Programme
Michel Camilo | Suite for Piano, Strings & Harp
Claude Bolling I Suite for Jazz Trio & Chamber Orchestra
Artists
Patrick Lui piano
Sylvain Gagnon bass
Nat Wong drum
Vahan Mardirossian chief conductor
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians experienced in playing diverse styles ranging from Baroque and classical to East-West crossover, tango, bollywood and jazz. Since its establishment in 1999 CCOHK has performed with many world-class artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Christian Lindberg, Sarah Chang, Philippe Entremont, Julian Lloyd Webber, Edgar Meyer, Branford Marsalis, Sharon Isbin, Richard Galliano and The King’s Singers. The orchestra has also collaborated with celebrities including Hayley Westenra, Richard Clayderman, Robin Gibb, Dame Edna Everage and Canto-pop stars Sandy Lam, Hins Cheung and Hacken Lee. Additional highlights include collaborations with the Vienna Boys’ Choir, The American Boychoir, the Warsaw Boys Choir, the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir and Choeur Britten. On tour CCOHK has been invited to perform in Italy, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and at the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. At home CCOHK is in high demand with performing engagements for Hong Kong Ballet, French May Arts Festival, RTHK Radio 4, the World Harp Congress and The Hong Kong International Piano Competition. In support of contemporary music CCOHK has staged world premieres of works by Daniel Binelli, Dobrinka Tabakova, Detlev Glanert, Mao Yuan and Alexander Prior, and by Hong Kong’s top composers at Musicarama and the Hong Kong Contemporary Music Festival. CDs include an internationally acclaimed release on OUR Recordings featuring the world premiere of Richard Harvey’s Concerto Incantanto with Danish recorder virtuoso Michala Petri. CCOHK’s mission to cultivate young audiences for classical music in Hong Kong has led to the creation of several original fully-staged productions incorporating actors. These include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, Vivaldi Unmasked and Bug Symphony which won the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Portugal 2017. At the helm of CCOHK’s artistic and executive planning is CCOHK’s founder Leanne Nicholls, herself a prize-winning performer who was awarded a commendation certificate from the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2009. French conductor Jean Thorel served as chief conductor from 2008 to 2016. Armenian conductor and virtuoso pianist Vahan Mardirossian was appointed chief conductor in 2019.
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