| Music Director/Conductor | Christoph Poppen |
| Violin | Sayaka Shoji |
| Composer | Alice Yeung |
Programme
| Alice Yeung | Wings’ Matra (world première) |
| Shostakovich | Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor, Op 99 |
| Elgar | Enigma Variations, Op 36 |
Since winning First Prize at the Paganini Competition in 1999 at the age of 16, Sayaka Shoji has made a name for herself as one of today’s foremost violinists acclaimed for her remarkable depth of interpretation and infectious performances. Having collaborated closely with eminent conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons and Yuri Temirkanov, and orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, she returns to Hong Kong to open Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s 2024/2025 season under the baton of Music Director Christoph Poppen, playing Shostakovich’s extraordinary Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor, bookended by the world première of Hong Kong composer Alice Yeung’s Wings’ Matra, and Elgar’s iconic and beloved Enigma Variations.
Sayaka Shoji (Violin)
“It’s evident that she has the composer’s music in her blood.”
MusicWeb International
“A deeply engaging performer.”
Gramophone
“An emotional intensity that many violinists will never achieve.”
The Herald
“She has a gorgeous tone, is passionate and expressive, and she takes risks, playing with a rubato that is never excessive and constantly aids the shaping of the music and its direction.”
The Strad
- Has performed with such conductors and orchestras as Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, London Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, etc
- First Japanese winner ever of the Paganini Competition in 1999
- Winner of the Mainichi Art Award, Japan 2016
Christoph Poppen (Music Director/Conductor)
“Christoph Poppen brought out a broad soundscape from the orchestra.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung
- Principal Conductor, Cologne Chamber Orchestra
- Principal Guest Conductor, Israel Chamber Orchestra
- Artistic Director, Marvão International Music Festival, Portugal
- Music Director, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie (2007-2011)
- Artistic Director, Munich Chamber Orchestra (1995-2006)
Alice Yeung (Composer)
- New Composers Pitch Prize, New Music Conference of November Music 2021
- Her works are featured by Theater Münster, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, Klangforum Wien, Residentie Orkest Den Haag, Ligeti Quartet, ISCM New Zealand, among others
