If you’re looking for a classy spot to meet a date or a super cheap but dead sophis’ start to your Friday night, you’re in luck. Citibank Plaza’s free weekly concert series, Musica del Cuore (that’s Italian for “Music of the Heart”), is starting up again this week.
The scheme – which has seen more than 100 free classical concerts held at the Central financial building since 2012 – is a bid to provide an extra platform for local and international musicians and an introduction for audiences who never normally see the inside of a concert hall.
And with a runtime of just 45 minutes, these “community concerts” provide the perfect apéritif for your Friday evening in a public but much less chaotic venue than, say, the Living Art performances at the Central MTR station.
Hoping to hit all the right notes is this season’s musical director Dr. Helen Cha, former lecturer in the Department of Music and coordinator of performance studies at Baptist University.
The lineup, stacked with local and international talent, promises to offer performances by both decorated and up-and-coming artists.
The magic kicks off this week with the “Unlikely Trio,” which consists of Steinway Artist Warren Lee, HK Philharmonic’s Principal Clarinet Andrew Simon, and HK Academy of Performing Arts’ Opera and Vocal Studies Head, Nancy Yuen.
February’s highlight will undoubtedly be Hong Kong’s Mary Wu (Feb. 13), hailed as “one of the most gifted pianists of her generation” by renowned French pianist Vlado Perlemuter. Quite the endorsement!
The summer months of July and August will bring Hong Kong’s brightest young musicians to the stage, while December (urgh, we’re thinking ahead to Christmas already) will see Turkish pianist AyseDeniz Gokcin make her grand debut in Hong Kong.
To see the full lineup for the 2015 concert season, visit official website or the Facebook page.
What: Citibank Plaza’s Musica del Cuore Classical Concert Series
When: 6pm – 6:45pm, every Friday (excluding dates with set concerts)
Where: Lower Ground Lobby of Citibank Plaza, 3 Garden Road, Central
Price: Free
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