On 31 January 2015 at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8pm, the internationally acclaimed artist Julian Lloyd Webber returns to the Hong Kong platform for the first time in more than a decade. Brother of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and son of composer William Lloyd Webber, Julian is widely regarded as one the finest musicians of his generation. Recently retired from the cello in May 2014 due to a serious neck injury, Julian Lloyd Webber will pick up the baton to conduct CCOHK and deliver a much anticipated performance with his wife Jiaxin Lloyd Webber as solo cellist. The programme includes a special selection of British classics for strings by Elgar, Delius William Lloyd Webber and Elgar’s richly crafted Introduction & Allegro. Jiaxin Lloyd Webberwill perform the Hong Kong premiere of Howard Goodall's And the Bridge is Love. She will also be joined on stage by principal cellist of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Artem Konstantinov in a performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto for two cellos in G major arranged by Julian Lloyd Webber. Julian Lloyd Webber Widely regarded as one the finest musicians of his generation, Julian Lloyd Webber enjoys one of the most creative and successful careers in classical music today. As founder of the British Government's In Harmony programme and the Chair of Sistema England, he continues to promote personal and community development in some of England’s most deprived areas. He was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 1994, and in recognition of his lifelong devotion to the music of Elgar, he was elected President of the Elgar Society in 2009. Julian Lloyd Webber won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music and studied in Geneva with the renowned cellist Pierre Fournier. Throughout his career he has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians including Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Sir Georg Solti, Elton John and Stephane Grappelli, and has inspired new compositions from composers including Joaquin Rodrigo, Philip Glass, James MacMillan and Eric Whitacre. Julian Lloyd Webber's many recordings have received worldwide acclaim and awards. More recently he recorded two new CDs with wife and cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber entitled A Tale of Two Cellos and And the Bridge is Love. In 2014 he made his conducting debut with the English Chamber Orchestra. For further information please visit www.julianlloydwebber.com Jiaxin Lloyd Webber Jiaxin Lloyd Webber graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1997 and received her Master’s Degree from The University of Auckland in 2001. In China she performed with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and was previously principal cellist of the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. In New Zealand she also played regularly with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber is married to the world renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and is now based in London. Artem Konstantinov Artem Konstantinov is principal cellist of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong since 2005. He studied cello at the Glinka School in Novosibirsk, the Moscow Conservatory of Music and at the Guildhall School of Music in London. He teachers included Mstislav Rostropovich, Natalia Shakhovskaya, Kiril Rodin, Alexander Rudin and Stefan Popov. He has won numerous prizes including first prize at the Russian National Cello Competition in 1997. Artem Konstantinov has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Europe and in Asia, and was previously principal cellist of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. Public Cello Masterclass Julian Lloyd Webber will also give a public cello masterclass on 01 February 2015 (Sunday) from 3:00pm-5:30pm at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall Backstage, CR2, 7/F. For bookings and enquiries: please contact Ms. Tiffany Lau at 2864 2156 / [email protected].