Musica Viva is excited to announce its upcoming overseas production in September 2025, featuring the opera Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck at the Ulriksdal Palace Theatre — “Confidencen” in Sweden. This marks a milestone in Hong Kong’s music history as it is the very first collaboration between Hong Kong and Sweden on a fully staged opera production.
Opera: Orfeo ed Euridice at Confidencen
Orfeo ed Euridice (‘Orpheus and Eurydice’) is an opera in three acts, composed by Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de’ Calzabigi. For this upcoming production, Musica Viva will reinterpret the Vienna premiere version of the opera for Confidencen, which is the oldest Rococo theatre in Sweden. The theatre retains many original design features, including Baroque oil-painted backdrops, a trapdoor that allows performers to sink below the stage, traditional mechanisms for set changes, etc. Reimagining an opera production in a theatre like the Confidencen is refreshing compared to a modern theatre.
Starring Budding Artists from Hong Kong
Musica Viva is known for its dedication to nurturing local artists by regularly providing performance opportunities to them. Produced and directed by local opera director and soprano Leung Siu Kwan Cindy, this production in Sweden is no exception, starring Hong Kong countertenor Terry Lee as Orfeo, soprano Esel Kim as Euridice, sopranos Charlene Lee and Tammy Shum as Amore. They will perform with Musica Viva Chorus and Swedish baroque ensemble Rebaroque under the baton of Isaac Droscha.
Historic Cultural Exchange Opportunity
This production is co-produced by both Musica Viva and Confidencen. This historic cultural exchange opportunity is financially supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council’s Cultural Exchange Grant, enabling over 20 Hong Kong artists and production personnel to participate in this production in Sweden. A total of two public performances will be held on the evening of 26 and 27 September 2025 at Confidencen. By presenting a Hong Kong production to the public in Sweden, this production achieves an important milestone in establishing Hong Kong’s presence in the arts scene of a major Scandinavian country. This unique opportunity showcases the talent and creativity of Hong Kong artists while fostering cultural exchange between Hong Kong and Sweden.
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ARTISTS
Leung Siu Kwan Cindy, Producer & Director (Hong Kong)
Leung Siu Kwan Cindy received her Master of Arts (Music) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree (major in vocal and minor in piano) at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She was awarded an Italian Consulate Scholarship to further study in Italy. She later received a project grant from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) for her research on the development of opera in Hong Kong which led to her publications which include The History of Opera in Hong Kong – A Review of Lo Kingman’s Productions. She also published the Aural Guide for ABRSM and Demo Series: ABRSM and Trinity College Examination Pieces for Voice.
Currently, Leung serves as the General Manager of Musica Viva, a registered music examiner, and a part-time lecturer at HKAPA. She has been involved in more than 120 productions in Hong Kong, and has collaborated with international singers including Andrea Bocelli, Kiri Te Kanawa and Sumi Jo. In recent years, Leung has served as an opera director and directed more than 10 productions on stages in Asia and Europe, including the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet, the Saigon Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera of the Philippines . Her productions are also boardcast on RTHK TV 31.
Leung recently directed and produced Musica Viva’s Orfeo ed Euridice for secondary schools students. She will reproduce the same project at Ulriksdal’s Palace Theatre – Confidencen, a Swedish Baroque heritage theatre, with accompaniment from the Swedish Baroque Chamber Orchestra Rebaroque Stockholm. This project will mark an important milestone in establishing the very first opera collaboration and cultural exchange relationship between the two cities.
Isaac Droscha, Conductor (United States)
Baritone Isaac Droscha holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan and is currently a faculty in the Division of Humanities at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Droscha is also the Artistic Director and vocal coach of the “HKUST Musical!”, which he also helps coordinate. He is also the Co-Artistic Director of the HKUST Cosmopolis Festival.
He has performed roles with various companies in the United States, including the Des Moines Metro Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera New Jersey and Arbor Opera Theater. His performances have received numerous positive reviews, including: “Isaac Droscha is ingenious in his portraying of Falstaff;” and “Isaac Droscha, in the same role, was blessed with an extremely robust and agile voice, and behaved onstage like a true commedia dell’arte clown…” and “Droscha really hit his stride when revealing his character’s true identity near the end of the oper a in a riveting performance.”
Some of his notable roles performed include roles in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro, The Rake’s Progress, Madama Butterfly, L’Elisir d’Amore, Die Zauberflöte, Die Fledermaus, Falstaff and Airadne auf Naxos. He was recently featured in two films produced by RTHK based on the operas La Serva Padrona and Rita. He also frequently appears in Musica Viva’s performance. In addition, Droscha is a prolific concert performer of oratorio and art song and fr equently lends his voiceover talents to radio and television at RTHK.
Terry Lee, Countertenor (Hong Kong)
Graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School, Terry Lee is passionate about classical music. Apart from playing the flute, he studies voice with American baritone Dr Isaac Droscha. Lee made his debut as Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in 2022. He made another role debut as Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera in 2023 and Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito in 2024.
As a chorus member, Lee has taken part in numerous projects, such as Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, Puccini’s La bohème, and Madama Butterfly; Lehár’s The Merry Widow; Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Le nozze di Figaro; and Belini’s Norma. Other choral performances included Bach’s Mass in B minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Handel’s Messiah with Die Konzertisten, Madame White Snake in the 47th Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), and “Voices of Hope and Togetherness — A Choral and Orchestral Gathering” in the 51st HKAF.
Lee is now the Manager (Artistic Projects) of Musica Viva, an established western opera and classical music production company led by Prof Lo Kingman, the former Director of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Esel Kim, Soprano (South Korea)
Esel Kim is a coloratura soprano from South Korea. As a soprano, she performs Internationally and is considered a potential and rinsing artist in her performance journey.
Esel Kim took her bachelor’s degree at Yonsei University with professor Kyung Hey La in 2015, Seoul Korea. In the summer of 2014, Esel has been invited by Gumho Foundation and made a successful solo recital in South Korea. After completing the study in Korea, she has been chosen to participate in Hannover Staatsoper Training Program in 2015 and then engage in advanced study of music in France. Moving to France, Kim had study with Professor Jean Francois and graduated her “D.E.M. (Diploma in Musical Studies)” and “Concertist Diploma” with an unanimous vote from the jury at the National Conservatory of Music in Cergy-Pontoise. During her oversea study, Kim has also dedicated to Europe competition, as a multiple prize-winner, Esel Kim is the 1st Prize and the youngest winner at 2018 “Concours International Les Cles D’or” in Paris, France, as well as the 1st Prize from “Les Musicales du Centre” International Music Competition.
In addition to her work as a soprano, Esel Kim has performed several roles on stage, such as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Pamina and Papageno in Die Zauberflote, Violetta in La Traviata and Le feu, Rossignol, Princesse in L’Enfant et les Sortilege’s. As a soloist, she has sung the solo soprano of Schubert’s Messe en Sol Major and Saint-Saens’s Les noces de Promethee as Humanite. From 2020, Esel Kim shared with her partner pianist Ansoo Choi and appeared in numerous concerts and recitals in major venues throughout South Korea, including Sejoung Art Center Music Hall, Kumho Art Recital Hall, Gwang-Ju Art Center Theatre.
Charlene Lee, Soprano (Hong Kong)
Soprano Charlene Lee studied at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden in Germany and was awarded the DAAD Studienabschluss-Stipendium Scholarship.
During her studies in Germany, she performed roles such as La Musica/Apollo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Second Spirit in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Sandmann in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel with the Staatsoperette Dresden, Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen and the Hochschule für Musik Dresden.
In Hong Kong, Lee won the Ms Barbara Fei Vocal Scholarship at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and performed with Musica Viva Hong Kong as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mercédès in Carmen, and Sylviane in The Merry Widow.
Lee was awarded ‘The Best Soloist Prize’ at the International Festival of Choral Art-Singing World in Russia and was placed second at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. She also sang in Masterclasses by Renée Fleming and Sumi Jo.
Tammy Shum, Soprano (Hong Kong)
Born in Hong Kong, Tammy Shum, soprano, holds a Master of Music in Voice and Opera Performance from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she studied under the tutelage of soprano Aline Kutan. She has recently been awarded the Li Ka Shing Foundation & Opera Hong Kong Young Artist Overseas Fellowship for her outstanding vocal artistry. She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with First Class Honours in 2022 under the tutelage of Ms. Margaret Yim, and was awarded the HKSAR Talent Development Scholarship (Performing Arts) and the Hong Kong Children’s Choir Music Scholarship for her academic excellence. She was also awarded the Lee Bing Memorial Scholarship for Voice Majors offered by CUHK in support of her postgraduate studies. She is also an award winner in various music competitions. She was awarded the Second Prize in the Duo Category at the 25th Osaka International Music Competition Finals with pianist Iris Lau, presenting a selection of Art Songs. She was also awarded the Third Grand Prix at the Festival-concours de musique de Sherbrooke Finals, as well as the First Prize in the voice category with her Voice Duo.
As a passionate young soprano, Tammy has appeared as Susanna from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro , and Papagena from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte . She has also appeared as a soprano soloist with the Chung Chi Choir and the Schulich Singers, performing repertoire ranging from Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël . Her professional engagements include being a member of the Opera Hong Kong Chorus and Musica Viva (Hong Kong) Opera Chorus. She also enjoys performing as a chamber musician. She performed in the French Music Project at CUHK organised by the French May Arts Festival, performing a range of French chamber music repertoire. She has also organised a recital featuring chamber works composed by Hong Kong composers during her studies in Montréal.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- For more details about the programme, cast, and various discount schemes, please visit the following website: musicavivahk.org
- For interview requests, media, and press-related enquiries, please contact Kelly Tai by email at kellytai@musicvivahk.org or by phone at 6449 3446.
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OPERA: ORFEO ED EURIDICE
Performed in Italian with English & Swedish surtitles
Date & Time:
- 26 September 2025, 19:30
- 27 September 2025, 19:30
Venue: Ulriksdals slottsteater Confidencen
Address: Slottsallén 3, 170 79 Solna, Sweden
Ticket Price: 690, 500, 350 SEK
(Concession Tickets at 520, 375, 260 SEK)
Tickets available at nortic: https://www.nortic.se/ticket/event/67798
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CREDITS
Music: Christoph Willibald Gluck
Libretto: Ranieri de’ Calzabigi
Producer and Director: Leung Siu Kwan Cindy
Conductor: Isaac Droscha
CAST
Orfeo: Terry Lee
Euridice: Esel Kim
Amore: Charlene Lee (26/9), Tammy Shum (27/9)
Musica Viva Chorus
Live accompaniment by Rebaroque (https://www.rebaroque.se/)
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Press Images
Available at: Press Photo for Sweden
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Previous Review of the Production
Available at:
- An interview with Producer and Director, Ms Leung Siu Kwan, Cindy.
港產歌劇《奧菲歐與尤麗迪采》9月將赴歐演出 – 藝術 – 香港文匯網.pdf (“Hong Kong opera “Orfeo and Euridice” to be performed in Europe in September”, from Wen Wei Po, a Hong Kong newspaper)
- An introduction of the student production of Orfeo ed Euridice
樂問集_西式破地獄_周光蓁_大公報.png (“Music Collection, Western-style Hell’s Gate Breaking by Oliver Chou”, from Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper)
- A conversation about how Orfeo ed Euridice serves as an all-round artform and sutis high-school students well
China’s Only Classical Opera Monthly.pdf
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About Musica Viva
Musica Viva is a not-for-profit charitable organisation founded in October 2008. Its founding members are a group of keen supporters of the performing arts, who have extensive experience offering advice on developmental, outreach and educational aspects in the field at the policy-making level.
Musica Viva’s vision is to promote performing arts of creative originality in their various forms and genres, in particular the appreciation, study, education and performance of music, opera and vocal art, as well as to create opportunities for creative and professional career development for budding artists. Musica Viva champions performing formats that demonstrate aesthetic refinement, genuine artistic content, and insightful interpretations presented with honesty and economy.
Musica Viva became a recipient of financial support from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in July 2009 and was granted charitable institution status with tax exemption by the Hong Kong Government in February 2010.
Official website: www.musicavivahk.org
Facebook Page:
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