Nearly two years after news of his appointment, 26-year-old Finnish-Filipino conductor Tarmo Peltokoski has officially arrived in Hong Kong to step into his full role as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hailed by international critics as one of the most exciting young conductors in the world, Peltokoski will take the orchestra on an ambitious international tour just two months into his tenure.

In November, the HK Phil will embark on a four-country, eight-city European tour, making debuts at prestigious venues including Berlin’s Berliner Philharmonie, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Vienna’s Wiener Konzerthaus and Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo.

“I’m honoured and excited to present our first real season actually together,” Peltokoski said at the 2026-27 season launch ceremony at The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel on April 27, “and a very good way to start a deep collaboration is to go on tour … nothing brings an orchestra closer to each other.”

But before the tour, the season – which will adopt the theme “Join Friends!” to foreground regional and international friendships in the classical music world – will kick off on September 16 and 17 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with “Pastoral and Elektra” featuring Manfred Honeck. The Austrian conductor is known for his dynamic, muscular interpretations of Beethoven and his command of Strauss – the two composers the programme will highlight.