Cover Jaap van Zweden is stepping down from his role at the HK Phil (Photo: courtesy of Eric Hong and HKPhil)
Jaap van Zweden is stepping down from his role at the HK Phil (Photo: courtesy of Eric Hong and HKPhil)
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Wrapping up with a final concert in Hong Kong, maestro Jaap van Zweden is set to helm the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra this year
Dutch conductor and violinist Jaap van Zweden, 63, will conduct his final concert as the music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) tonight (June 26). He has led the city’s biggest symphony orchestra for the last 12 seasons. He has taken up the baton at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra since January 2024, and will lead the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, a French radio orchestra in Paris, for a five-year term starting from 2026.
At HK Phil’s press conference today (June 26), he said he will miss “the warmth and respect of the people [towards him and the orchestra] and how they’re always enthusiastic. The positivity of the city is something that has moved me a lot”.
During his time with the HK Phil, the orchestra captivated audiences with its world-class performances, innovative programming and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence. One of his most remembered projects was conducting HK Phil’s first performance of German composer Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, a piece widely considered the peak of operatic indulgence and innovation, which earned HK Phil the recognition as Orchestra of the Year by the UK’s leading classical music magazine Gramophone in 2019.
In case you missed it: HKPhil names Tarmo Peltokoski its new music director
Above Jaap van Zweden (Photo: Getty)
Jaap van Zweden (Photo: Getty)
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Van Zweden describes his move to Seoul as a “natural next step”. The South Korean government and the mayor of Seoul had approached him under the recommendation of his Korean violin teacher back at Juilliard, Hyo Kang. “I said to Hyo, ‘I worked for so many years with Korean artists, but never have I worked with a Korean orchestra.’ So I found that [opportunity] very attractive.”
Above Jaap van Zweden and HKPhil's chief executive Benedikt Fohr holding the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award in 2019 (Photo: courtesy of Christine Cheuk and HK Phil)
Jaap van Zweden and HKPhil's chief executive Benedikt Fohr holding the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award in 2019 (Photo: courtesy of Christine Cheuk and HK Phil)
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The Amsterdam-born musician was appointed the youngest-ever concertmaster of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at the age of 19 in 1979 and started conducting almost 20 years later. After a career working with different orchestras in Europe, he joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Texas, the US in 2008. In 2012, he joined the HK Phil as the music director.
In 2020, the Hong Kong government awarded Van Zweden the Silver Bauhinia Star to recognise his contribution to the orchestra and the city’s classical music scene. Outside of the orchestra, Van Zweden is also active in charity work. He and his wife Aaltje established the Papageno Foundation, which supports families of children with autism.
The HK Phil is yet to announce Van Zweden’s successor. “I’m so proud that I’m leaving your orchestra in great shape. And I’m also a hundred per cent sure that the [HKPhil] board and everybody [is] going to announce the best of the best [music director] after me,” he said at HK Phil’s gala on June 18. “The [HK Phil’s] future will be in very good hands.”
Van Zweden will be back for four programmes at HK Phil in the 2024/25 season.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
