The orchestra did succeed in launching as an amateur group after the war, calling itself the Sino-British Orchestra, with a doctor at the conductor’s podium. But classical music was still struggling for airtime in Hong Kong, and the orchestra was limited by the lack of proper performance venues, according to Raff Wilson, who served the HK Phil for six years as its director of artistic planning before recently joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

That changed when Hong Kong City Hall opened in 1962 to establish a community cultural centre. By 1974, the orchestra had changed its name to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and debuted as a professional group. The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra followed a few years later, and the Cultural Centre arrived in 1989.

As Hong Kong grew into an international financial hub at the end of the 20th century, arts and culture blossomed in this increasingly affluent city. ‘It was no accident that a well-resourced and professional orchestra was a priority,’ says Wilson. Degree-granting music programmes launched at the universities, and a fully fledged conservatory launched in the mid-1980s at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

My arrival in Hong Kong in 2012 coincided with that of powerhouse conductor Jaap van Zweden, who was starting his stint as the HK Phil’s music director. He’s been such a welcome addition that the HK Phil has renewed his position as orchestra leader until 2024, doubling up with his gig as music director of the New York Philharmonic, one of the most high-profile conducting posts in the world.