Musicus Fest 2025

Festival Opening: Trey Lee & English Chamber Orchestra

Boasting Benjamin Britten as its first patron, the ECO maintains the highest international musical standards, attracting collaborations from such artists as Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Hilary Hahn, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. Under the patronage of the UK’s King Charles III, the orchestra has made regular appearances at royal events, including the first concert ever broadcast from Buckingham Palace. Furthermore, the ECO is the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world, with a portfolio of over 1,500 works by some 400 composers.

Returning to Hong Kong after sold-out appearances last year, the ECO reunites with Musicus’s founding artistic director, the acclaimed cellist Trey Lee on November 1 at Hong Kong City Hall.

Lee first collaborated with the ECO in 2024 for the release of Seasons Interrupted, a climate change-themed album published by Signum Records. The album was praised by BBC Music Magazine as ‘simply captivating,’ and led to Lee’s widely acclaimed performance in the ECO’s 2024 season opening concert at London’s Cadogan Hall.

At Musicus Fest 2025, Lee and the ECO are back together performing his arrangement (for solo cello and chamber orchestra) of Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, as featured on Seasons Interrupted. The concert also includes a string version of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Pastoral and Tchaikovsky’s Chant d’automne from The Seasons. Adding to the evening’s festivity, local students from the Ensemble Training programme are performing excerpts by Boccherini and Holst alongside the ECO. 

Musicus Society has been uniting outstanding artists from Hong Kong and across the world since its founding in 2010. The collaboration with ECO showcases Musicus’s commitment to nurturing young talent and fostering international artistic exchanges.

“For the last 15 years, Musicus has consistently celebrated the cross-cultural collaboration of music, bringing artists from Hong Kong and around the world together for unforgettable concert experiences,” says Lee. “With our performers and audiences, I look forward to Musicus’s continued growth as an international meeting point for cultural exchange, celebrating timeless music from the repertoire.”

In addition to the opening concert on November 1, Musicus Fest 2025 is delivering nine other concerts in November and December, including a special presentation at Shenzhen Concert Hall. 

Date & Time: November 1, 2025 (Saturday) 8pm

Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

Tickets available at URBTIX

Concert Programme

The duration of the concert is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, with a 20-minute intermission.

• Tchaikovsky (arr. Paul Sherman)

Chant d’automne (October) from The Seasons, Op. 37a (arranged for string orchestra)

• Beethoven

Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68, Pastoral (arranged for string orchestra)

• Piazzolla (arr. Trey Lee)

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (arranged for cello and string orchestra) | Cello Solo: Trey Lee

• Boccherini

String Quintet in E, G. 275, Op.11 No. 5, III. Minuetto - Trio (arranged for string orchestra)

• Holst

St. Paul's Suite, Op. 29 No. 2, IV. Finale (The Dargason): Allegro