[2 October 2025, Hong Kong] Musica Viva is excited to announce its upcoming opera production in December 2025, featuring the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti. The performances will take place on 12 and 13 December 2025 (Friday and Saturday) at 7:30 pm, and 14 December 2025 (Sunday) at 2:30 pm at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.
Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a romantic opera in three acts, composed by Donizetti and set to a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano. Set in late 17th-century Scotland, it tells a tragic story of Lucia, a young woman caught in a web of family rivalry and forbidden love. Lucia is forced to marry a man she does not love to consolidate her family’s power. As the story unfolds, Lucia’s despair drives her madness, culminating in a heartbreaking finale.
Starring International and Local Artists
With its stunning arias and dramatic plot, conveying the characters’ deepest emotions and turmoil, Lucia di Lammermoor will come to life with a cast of outstanding overseas and local singers, with Italian soprano Lucrezia Drei and American soprano Aubry Ballarò as Lucia, Argentine tenor Pablo Bemsch as Edgardo, Russian baritone Alexey Bogdanchikov as Enrico, Italian bass Mariano Buccico as Raimondo, mezzo-soprano Bobbie Zhang as Alisa, tenor Dennis Lau as Arturo, tenors Cai Jiyu and Gabriel Ma as Normanno. They will perform under the artistic direction of Prof. Lo Kingman, with Musica Viva Orchestra and Musica Viva Chorus under the baton of the awarded conductor Vivian Ip.
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ARTISTS
Lo Kingman Producer & Director
Returning from Italy where he worked at the Opera Theatre of Rome and the Morlacchi Theatre of Perugia in the 1960s, Lo Kingman has since written, directed and designed over 200 stage productions ranging from opera, drama, dance to musical theatre with performances in Asia, Europe and America. Over the years, Lo has made significant contributions not only in the performing arts but also in the fields of higher education and public service. He was appointed Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1993 to 2004. From 2004 to 2009, he was the Principal of the Canton International Summer Music Academy, which offers professional training for young orchestral musicians. In 2008, he participated in the creation of Musica Viva, an organisation dedicated to nurturing young artists and extending their performing opportunities in operas and concerts.
Lo was appointed a Justice of the Peace by the Government of the HKSAR, made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Honours List, honoured as a Cavaliere of the Order of Merit by the Republic of Italy, and decorated with the title of Chevaliere de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and Communications. Honorary Fellowships have been conferred upon him by The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the Royal Society of Arts in Great Britain. In 2005 and 2012, respectively, Lo received the Bronze and Silver Bauhinia Stars of the HKSAR. In 2021, he was awarded the 15th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards — Life Achievement Award.
Vivian Ip Conductor
A leading young conductor in Hong Kong and 3rd Prize Winner of the 2025 International Ferenc Fricsay Conducting Competition, Vivian Ip is recognised for her dynamic leadership in orchestral, choral, and operatic music, with a particular passion for stage productions. Since the 2023/2024 season, she has served as Associate Conductor of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, where she has presented a series of concerts and worked closely with guest artists and musicians.
Praised by Grammy Award-winning conductor John Nelson, who remarked, “Conducting is like breathing for you. Bright talent you have!”, Ip has established herself as a key figure in Hong Kong’s music scene. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Assistant Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil), working alongside Music Director Jaap van Zweden and Principal Guest Conductor Yu Long, as well as renowned overseas conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Charles Dutoit, Vassily Sinaisky, and Lawrence Foster. She has also served as a guest conductor for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, HK Phil, Musica Viva, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong Grand Opera, Hong Kong Ballet, as well as City Contemporary Dance Company.
In 2018, Ip led the Xing-er Symphony Orchestra (Guangzhou) to the Gold Award at the 6th World Orchestra Festival in Vienna, where she also received the Talented Conductor Prize. She then began her collaboration with Musica Viva from 2019, conducting productions such as Die Zauberflöte, Carmen, Norma, and L’elisir d’amore. She is thrilled to return this year with Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2023, she co-founded ANIMA Ensemble, where she serves as Artistic Director, to promote contemporary chamber operas and musical theatre works. In 2024, the ensemble presented an original production of Philip Glass’s The Book of Longing in Hong Kong, receiving critical acclaim.
Ip earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (First Class Honours) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Supported by an Associate Instructorship and the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies, she pursued a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Indiana University Bloomington. She later graduated with distinction in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where she received the highest award of the year, under the supervision of Uroš Lajovic and Johannes Wildner.
A recipient of the Hong Kong Outstanding Young Musician Award in 2024, Ip currently teaches Conducting at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as well as the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Lucrezia Drei Soprano
Born in Milan, Lucrezia Drei graduated from the Milan Conservatory. She was a prize winner of the AsLiCo Competition in 2014 and 2015 and received the Luciano Pavarotti Prize at the 65th Viotti International Music Competition, and the First Prize at Beata Paola Montaldi International Sacred Music Competition in Mantua.
Drei began her career in the children’s choir of Teatro alla Scala. At the age of thirteen, she made her operatic debut at the theatre in Janaček’s The Cunning Little Vixen under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. This was followed by her performance in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, conducted by Georges Prêtre.
In 2016, Drei attended the Accademia Rossiniana “Alberto Zedda” in Pesaro, under the guidance of Maestro Alberto Zedda. In August 2016, she made her debut at the Rossini Opera Festival as Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims. In 2018, she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Adina in L’elisir d’amore, which she performed in multiple productions at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Opéra de Toulon, Teatro Regio di Torino, and Teatro Massimo di Palermo.
Drei has appeared in theatres across the world, taking on various operatic roles, including the title role of Anna Bolena with Musica Viva in 2023, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Roselinde in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La traviata, Gilda in Rigoletto, Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Giuletta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Marguerite in Faust, Musetta in La bohème, Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Nannetta in Falstaff, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, and Norina in Don Pasquale.
Aubry Ballarò Soprano
Quickly gaining attention as a lyric coloratura soprano with exceptional bel canto technique, Aubry Ballarò most recently reprised the role of Violetta in La traviata with Opera in the Park Portland, and she made her role debuts as Fiordiligi in Così Fan tutte with Princeton Festival, as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and as Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Grand Rapids.
Ballarò made her international debut in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor with State Opera Stara Zagora in Bulgaria in 2022 and subsequently joined The Princeton Festival to sing the role of Madame Herz in their production of Mozart’s L’impresario. In 2023, Aubry debuted as Violetta in La traviata and the role of Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Columbus. Under the baton of Steven Mercurio, she appeared twice at the Festival de Musique de Saint Barthélemy, singing Micaëla in their 2020 production of Carmen.
Ballarò graduated from the Academy of Vocal Arts, where she performed roles such as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, and Oscar in Un ballo in maschera. She was a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2022, and a winner of the Bologna International Vocal Competition in 2019. She was also a finalist in the Jensen Foundation Competition in New York (2022) and Vincerò World Singing Competition in Napoli (2021).
Pablo Bemsch Tenor
Argentinian tenor Pablo Bemsch studied at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana and the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. He was a recipient of scholarships from the Lyra Foundation Zürich and the Vontobel Family Foundation Zürich. He was also a former member of the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich and the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Highlights of Bemsch’s career include portraying Faust in Mefistofele for Chelsea Opera Group, Tito in La clemenza di Tito at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Scottish Opera, and Alfredo in La traviata with Theater St. Gallen. He has also performed as Don José in Carmen with Teatro San Martin and Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Rodolfo in La bohème for Nevill Holt Opera and Opera Theatre Company, and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at Opera de Las Palmas. Recent engagements include the title role in Don Carlo for Opéra de Baugé and Jacopo Foscari in I due Foscari for Chelsea Opera Group.
Bemsch has worked with conductors including Marco Armiliato, Mark Elder, John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Oren, Antonio Pappano, and Christophe Rousset. He was featured in recordings such as Le Portrait de Manon with Opera Rara, Messiah with Château de Versailles Spectacles, and Betulia liberata published by Aparté.
Alexey Bogdanchikov Baritone
Russian baritone Alexey Bogdanchikov graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre. Since 2014, Bogdanchikov has been a member of the ensemble of the Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow, featured in many of his signature roles. Since September 2015, he has also become a member of the ensemble and a leading soloist at the Hamburg State Opera, where he made his debut as Rodrigue in the French version of Verdi’s Don Carlo under the baton of Renato Palumbo. During his time in Hamburg, he has performed many leading roles such as the title role of Eugene Onegin, Prince Eleckij in The Queen of Spades, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Il Conte di Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Marcello in La bohème. In April 2017, he was awarded the Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Prize by the Hamburg State Opera, an award for the best singer of the year in the ensemble.
Bogdanchikov made his debut in Bologna in 2011 as Wolfram in Tannhäuser, and later as Paolo Albiani in Simon Boccanegra in Piacenza and in Modena alongside the leading Italian baritone Leo Nucci. He also performed the role of Belcore in L’elisir d’amore at Teatro delle Muse in Ancona and Morales in Carmen at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
Bogdanchikov is a prize winner of several important singing competitions, such as ARMEL Opera Festival and Competition 2010 in Hungary, DEBUT 2012 and Neue Stimmen 2013 in Germany. In 2013, he represented Russia in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He also won the first prize at the 57th Voci Verdiane Città di Busseto International Voice Competition in 2019.
Mariano Buccino Bass
Described by Radio Televisione Svizzera as “a singer of exceptional quality”, and praised for his “dark voice, beautiful and sonorous, homogeneous from the first to the last note” and “wonderful legato” by Giornale del Lazio, Mariano Buccino has received numerous accolades in the Italian press.
Born in the vibrant city of Naples in 1987, Buccino cultivated his passion for music from a young age, joining a boys’ choir and learning to play the piano. His dedication led him to excel in vocal and compositional studies, culminating in a summa cum laude degree from the prestigious San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples. He further developed his singing at the Opera Studio of the National Academy of St Cecilia under the supervision of Renata Scotto.
Buccino’s career took a decisive turn in 2015, when he became a finalist in the 53rd Voci Verdiane Città di Busseto International Voice Competition. This success paved the way for further victories, such as the 7th International Singing Competition in Ravello and the 65th AsLiCo Competition. These competitions also allowed him to take on prominent roles later, such as Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Oroveso in Norma, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, Ramfis in Aïda, Colline in La bohème, Timur in Turandot, and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
Buccino has also graced the stages of Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari and others. His artistry also took him beyond Italian borders, with international appearances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Sarasota Opera House in Florida, the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka, the Malmö Opera, and the Musikfest Bremen.
Bobbie Zhang Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Bobbie Zhang is a former member of the Jockey Club Opera Hong Kong Young Artist Development Programme. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in music from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and her master’s degree from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA).
Zhang has worked at the Shanghai Opera House and has appeared as a soloist in the China premiere of Shostakovich’s Jewish Folk Poetry, Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. She has also appeared in many operas, performing roles such as Maddalena in Rigoletto, Dorabella in Così fan Tutte, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, La Badessa in Suor Angelica, Juno in Semele, Mercédès in Carmen, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Cherubino and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro.
Zhang is currently a voice instructor at HKAPA’s Junior Programme. She has served as a judge for numerous music competitions.
Dennis Lau Tenor
An active tenor in Hong Kong, Dennis Lau studied voice with Italian soprano Isabel Gentile and baritone Roberto Abbondanza. After graduating from Italy, he has performed different roles in numerous opera productions, namely Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Fracasso in La Finta Semplice, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Podestà in La Finta Giardiniera by Mozart, Le Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen, etc. He has been invited to sing as a soloist in many concerts, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Haydn’s The Creation, and Schubert’s Mass in A-flat major. Apart from performing, Lau is a choral conductor and vocal teacher in Wah Yan College, Kowloon Old Boys’ Choir, Pun U Association Wah Yan Primary School, and Fukien Secondary School (Siu Sai Wan). He is currently the Chorus Master of Muscia Viva Chorus and Music Director of The Hong Kong Women’s Choir.
Cai Jiyu Tenor
Cai Jiyu graduated from Xinghai Conservatory of Music with a master’s degree and now works at Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater. He studied under the famous tenor and vocal teacher Professor Yang Yan, director of the Vocal Opera Department of Xinghai Conservatory of Music. Cai was admitted to the Xinghai Conservatory of Music with excellent results in 2013. In the same year, he participated in the Guangzhou Opera House’s Song Qingling with famous singers Chi Liming and Jin Man. In 2014, he participated in the Fujian Grand Theater’s Rigoletto with tenor Warren Mok. In 2015, he participated in the Neue Stimmen international singing competition in Germany and achieved excellent results. He has also given performances at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Nanjing University of the Arts, and Wuhan Conservatory of Music. In the following years, he also achieved good results in various international vocal competitions.
Cai appears in operas at the Xinghai Concert Hall, including Gaston in La traviata, Daxing in The Wilderness, Qin Sheng in Canal Ballad, and the Duke in Rigoletto. In 2019, he went to Venice to participate in an international master class hosted by Figaro Opera Society, performing Alfredo in La traviata under the guidance of the Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas, soprano Barbara Frittoli, and the artistic director of Teatro alla Scala, Marco Borroni. After returning to China, he held a well-received solo recital at the Dongguan Cultural Center.
Gabriel Ma Tenor
Tenor Gabriel Ma is a graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington. Ma studied under Prof Carlos Montané for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music (Vocal Performance), with an Outside Field in Choral Conducting. He also holds a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Ma has performed in fully-staged opera productions and opera scenes in concert, including Nadir in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles; Eisenstein in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; Tamino and Monostatos in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Don Basilio and Don Curzio in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro; Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (cover), Gelindo in Cimarosa’s L’impresario in angustie (cover); he also appeared in Verdi’s La traviata; Bizet’s Carmen; Britten’s Peter Grimes; and Donizetti’s La fille du régiment.
An avid performer, Ma performed the first twelve songs from Schubert’s Winterreise with pianist Dr Helen Cha at Musica del Cuore in the winter of 2023. He has also been invited back by the City Chamber Orchestra Hong Kong in the past two seasons as the tenor soloist in The Bear. Recently, he appeared as Dr Blind in Hong Kong Grand Opera’s 2025 production of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.
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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 2548 7180.
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OPERA: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Performed in Italian with English & Chinese surtitles
Date & Time:
- 12 December 2025, Friday, 19:30
- 13 December 2025, Saturday, 19:30
- 14 December 2025, Sunday, 14:30
Ticket Price: $720, $520, $380, $280
Tickets available now at URBTIX
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CREDITS
Music: Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto: Salvatore Cammarano
Producer and Director: Lo Kingman
Conductor: Vivian Ip
CAST
Lucia: Lucrezia Drei (12 & 14/12), Aubry Ballarò (13/12)
Edgardo: Pablo Bemsch, Cai Jiyu (Understudy)
Enrico: Alexey Bogdanchikov
Raimondo: Mariano Buccino
Alisa: Bobbie Zhang
Arturo: Dennis Lau
Normanno: Cai Jiyu (12 & 14/12), Gabriel Ma (13/12)
Musica Viva Orchestra
Musica Viva Chorus
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