This year, 2024, is the one-hundredth anniversary of the death of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini in November of 1924. Known for his brilliant and spectacularly admired operas, he was virtually the Taylor Swift of his era. My husband and I

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Ludwig van Beethoven was a revolutionary man who lived and worked in tumultuous times as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars greatly destabilised the European continent. For over

“Learning about Beethoven is a joyful journey without end” British journalist and newscaster John Suchet has had a lifelong fascination with Ludwig van Beethoven, from the moment he discovered the great German composer’s music in his twenties. Beethoven’s music, in

This Christmas Eve, Hong Kong audiences are invited to explore the captivating soundscape of Piano Sounds from South America, a concert that celebrates the rich diversity of Latin American piano music. Funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council’s Emerging

After the rigorous opening stages and the announcement of semi-final results, the 12th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition took a well-deserved rest. Well, not everybody had that kind of luxury, of course. When I ran into one of the finalists during

At long last, I encountered an international piano competition where I wholeheartedly agreed with ( and applauded ) the jury’s choice of all the finalists. At this 2024 Hamamatsu Piano Competition, it seemed that exquisite musicianship was the vital requisite

This year marks the tenth Cello Biënnale AMSTERDAM festival. From October 31- November 10, 2024, cellists gathered from around the world to celebrate our wonderful instrument in the largest festival of its kind. Featuring “Students Around the World”, Bach and

I had no idea that chamber music could still draw such a huge crowd. Well, when it is part of the biggest and most prestigious piano competition in Asia, the 12th Hamamatsu International Piano Competitions, I probably shouldn’t be surprised.