HONG KONG — Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will return to the Hong Kong Philharmonic (HK Phil) Orchestra for a single performance in January 2027, the orchestra announced Wednesday.

The concert — Standard Chartered Global Private Bank Proudly Sponsors: Yo-Yo Ma Plays Elgar — is set for 7:30 pm on Jan 25, 2027, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.

At its center is Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, widely considered one of the greatest works written for the instrument.

Ma, a 20-time Grammy winner, won this year’s award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his Deutsche Grammophon recording of Shostakovich’s complete cello concertos. He has released more than 120 albums.

Complementing the concerto, Long Yu will lead the orchestra in a program pairing music from China and Britain. It includes Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 1, whose melody later became Land of Hope and Glory, a beloved fixture of the BBC Proms, and Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite. Chen Qigang drew on traditional Peking Opera elements and Western orchestral techniques to create Instants d'un Opera de Pekin, a vivid work inspired by the colors and expressive gestures of Peking Opera.

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Tickets are priced at HK$2,080 ($265), HK$1,480, HK$880 and HK$680 and will be sold through a real-name registration ballot. Online registration runs Nov 30 to Dec 1, 2026, at URBTIX. The concert is open to ages 6 and above.