In Friday’s (3/14) South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), Lo Wei writes that Jaap van Zweden, who recently extended his contract as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra through the 2018-19 season, “received a boost yesterday when his appointment” as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic was extended by three years. “The orchestra had greatly improved in the two years since van Zweden had joined, said the chairman of the orchestra’s board of governors, Liu Yuen-sung.… Van Zweden joined the orchestra in 2012 on a four-year basis, but the extension means he will stay until at least 2019, overseeing a period that will include a number of overseas tours. Van Zweden said he felt at home in Hong Kong and was ‘extremely happy’ with his relationship with the city’s audience. However, he said that for the orchestra to reach its potential as one of the best in the world, overseas tours were essential…. ‘If you want an international name and an international sound, you should go on tour,’ said van Zweden. The orchestra will tour Europe in February and March next year, performing in cities including London, Zurich and Berlin, according to Michael MacLeod, the chief executive of Hong Kong Philharmonic.”
Posted March 14, 2014
Photo of Jaap van Zweden by Hans van der Woerd
