In 13 different venues over a period of four weeks, from February 14 to March 16, the Hong Kong Arts Festival will present over 100 performances and related events featuring 31 performing groups – 22 from overseas and nine from Hong Kong. A range of exceptional artists from around the world will participate in this festival, including approximately 1,000 overseas performers and over 370 local performers and supporting staff.

Festival chairman Charles Lee said, "The festival has established a strong tradition of bringing the best international talent to Hong Kong each year, and providing a showcase for artists in our own community. This is an eagerly anticipated annual event covering many disciplines and interests, and offers something for everyone with an interest in the performing arts, both residents and visitors alike."

Once again, the festival has achieved its mission to bring to Hong Kong audiences the very best from the world of performing arts, including productions that are thought-provoking and visionary. "There is significant star power in the 2008 Hong Kong Arts Festival," said festival executive director Tisa Ho.

Many of the artists in this Festival are major pioneering creative forces. "Inspiring and stimulating at any time, this type of creative genius is particularly exciting for us today, as we embark on the journey towards a unique opportunity to achieve new paradigms in performing arts infrastructure and management presented by the West Kowloon cultural district." Tisa Ho said.

Opening the Festival this year is the spectacular Stuttgart Ballet in their ground-breaking rendition of the well-loved classic, Swan Lake as originally choreographed by John Cranko. Celebrating the 80th anniversary of Cranko’s birth and in honor of his pioneering contribution to dance, the Festival proudly presents two of his greatest legacies. After the opening night’s Swan Lake, comes the magnificent Onegin.

Equally grand in scale and sumptuous in detail is Teatro Regio di Parma’s production of Verdi’s monumental opera, Rigoletto. With its long and celebrated history, not least as host of the annual Verdi Festival, Teatro Regio offers audiences an authentic Italian experience of Verdi’s masterpiece. It is also the first Italian opera to be performed in the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Orchestral music lovers will be delighted by the presence of two of the world’s leading orchestras. First, the New York Philharmonic performs in three evenings of great orchestral music, led by its music director Lorin Maazel and associate conductor Zhang Xian. Then, the London Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the festival with its newly inaugurated principal conductor, Vladimir Jurowski.

In addition to the orchestral fare, a contrasting repertoire of vocal music is on offer during this festival. The London Philharmonic Choir will sing oin two separate evenings; the first a selection of Russian symphonic works and the second some English organ-accompanied anthems.

In Chinese opera, Yuen Siu-fai directs a local cast of acclaimed performers in three signature vignettes by the great classical playwright, Guan Hanqing, and the Peking Opera House of Beijing presents four works that commemorate the late master of Chou, Xiao Changhua.

World luminaries participating in the festival include virtuoso pianist András Schiff, playing works of Beethotions from Hong Kong are also represented. The city’s major music ensembles, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, will both participate in the festival, under the batons of their respective directors.