Bassoon & Baton — French May Arts Festival 2026

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 27 March 2026 - On 21 April 2026 at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8:00pm, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) presents Bassoon & Baton, a rare showcase of the bassoon's lyrical voice and virtuosic brilliance.

Held as part of the French May Arts Festival 2026, the programme features the Hong Kong debut of Sophie Dervaux, the internationally acclaimed French bassoonist and principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. She performs bassoon concertos by Vivaldi, Mozart and Hummel and takes up the baton to conduct orchestral works by French composers Lully, Guy Ropartz and Gossec, thereby highlighting her dual artistry as both soloist and conductor.

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
Bassoon & Baton — French May Arts Festival 2026
Sophie Dervaux bassoon/guest conductor

21 APR 2026 (Tue)
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8:00pm

PROGRAMME
Lully I Marche pour la Cérémonie des Turcs, LWV43
VivaldiI Concerto for Bassoon in G major, RV493
Guy Ropartz I Serenade for Strings
Mozart I Concerto for Bassoon in B-flat major, K.191
GossecI Symphony in C minor Op. 6 No. 3, RH24
Hummel I Grand Concerto in F major, S.63, WoO.23

Sophie Dervaux will also contribute to community activities in Hong Kong by holding two Bassoon masterclasses open to the public. On 18 April 2026, 10:30am–1:00pm, at Sing Music Academy, Room 901, On Lok Yuen Building 25-27A Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong, and on 19 April 2026, 2:30pm–5:00pm, at CR2, 7/F Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall Backstage.

Sophie Dervaux's outstanding career as a solo bassoonist, orchestral musician, conductor and recording artist includes her engagements with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2015), the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a prize-winner of the prestigious ARD International Music Competition Munich (2013) and the Beethoven Ring Bonn (2014). Born in France, Sophie Dervaux studied at the Music Conservatory of Versailles, the Conservatoire de Paris in Lyon, the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin and at the Karajan Academy. She has performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall Tokyo, New York's Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Her solo engagements include the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. On CD she has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim and Emmanuel Pahud. In 2021 she received the German Record Critics' Award for her debut solo album on the Berlin Classics label. She is currently working on a project to record all 39 of Vivaldi's bassoon concertos with La Folia Barockorchester. In addition to performing, Sophie Dervaux works internationally as a guest conductor and has appeared with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Kanazawa, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. She teaches bassoon at the Music and Arts University of The City of Vienna and plays on a Püchner bassoon.

Tickets priced at $450, $300 and $220 (with50% off for full-time students, senior citizens, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients, people with disabilities and their accompanying minder), are available from all URBTIX outlets. For internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for programme or other enquiries, call 2864 2156 or email info@ccohk.com.

BASSOON MASTERCLASS by SOPHIE DERVAUX
18 Apr (Sat) 10:30am-1:00pm, Sing Music Academy, Room 901, On Lok Yuen Building, 25-27A Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong
19 Apr (Sun) 2:30pm-5:00pm, CR2, 7/F Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall Backstage
The masterclasses are open to observers at $100 per person.
Register Now (info@ccohk.com/2864 2156)

PHOTOS Link to: Sophie Dervaux
MEDIA ENQUIRIES (including artist interviews/photos): info@ccohk.com/2864 2154
WEBSITE:www.ccohk.com

Hashtag: #CityChamberOrchestraofHongKong #Bassoon&Baton

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City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia's leading chamber orchestras. Founded by oboist Leanne Nicholls in 1999, CCOHK has performed with many of the world's most celebrated artists and composers including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Michala Petri, Christian Lindberg, Sarah Chang, Julian Lloyd Webber, Barry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Branford Marsalis, Sir Karl Jenkins, Ney Rosauro, Richard Galliano and Alma Deutscher. The orchestra has also collaborated with celebrities including Dame Edna Everage, Hayley Westenra, Richard Clayderman, Robin Gibb and Canto-pop stars Sandy Lam, Hacken Lee, Hins Cheung, Ivana Wong and Jacky Cheung. Additional highlights include concerts with the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Warsaw Boys' Choir, The American Boychoir, the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir, the King's Singers and The Swingle Singers. CCOHK's progressive programming has been internationally recognized with tour invitations to festivals in London, L'Aquila, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai. At home CCOHK has performed for French May Arts Festival, Hong Kong Ballet, RTHK's televised Christmas Concerts in the Park, the 2017 World Harp Congress, The Hong Kong Composers' Guild and The Hong Kong International Piano Competition. Cinema and anime performances include Howard Blake's The Snowman & The Bear, the Harry Potter series, Final Fantasy, Attack on Titan and One Piece Music Symphony. CCOHK is also a keen supporter of contemporary music and has commissioned works by Mao Yuan, Samson Young, Joyce Tang, Dobrinka Tabakova and Richard Harvey. The orchestra's CDs include world premiere recordings on the NAXOS, Orchid Classics and OUR Recordings labels with Michala Petri, Dame Evelyn Glennie and bandoneón/piano duo Binelli-Ferman. CCOHK's passion for building young audiences for music has inspired the creation of several award-winning productions and musicals. Credits include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, The Bonn Man, Haydn & The Prince, Bug Symphony (winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Portugal 2017), WILD (The Musical) (winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Belgium 2022) and Shark Symphony. In 2023 CCOHK garnered five-star reviews for the London premiere of WILD (The Musical), and in the same year was voted into RTHK Radio 4's Top Ten Music Headlines. Armenian French piano virtuoso Vahan Mardirossian serves as chief conductor (since 2019), succeeding French conductor Jean Thorel (2008 to 2016). CCOHK is currently a Venue Partner of Tsuen Wan Town Hall (since 2026) and the recipient of HKADC's Eminent Arts Group Scheme (since 2024).