New York Philharmonic brings over 100 musicians to China for concerts

Over 100 orchestra musicians from New York, their instruments, a stage crew and support staff recently wrapped up a multi-city tour of China, solidifying a friendship based on an appreciation of classical music.

The New York Philharmonic (NY Phil) 2024 tour to China had stops in Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai from June 27 to July 7, and included education activities in the form of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA), a joint initiative by the NY Phil, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Although the NY Phil had a tour to Asia last year, which included a performance in Shanghai featuring nine NY Phil musicians, this year's tour marks their return to the Chinese mainland with a full orchestra after last performing in the country in 2019. It says this is the first performance by a full U.S. orchestra in the Chinese mainland since the pandemic. In November last year, a group of 14 musicians from another U.S. ensemble – the Philadelphia Orchestra – traveled to Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou and Shanghai to hold residencies and perform concerts. 

The music in the NY Phil tour program included symphonies by Brahms, Copland, and Mozart and the Chinese premiere of composer Nina Shekhar's "Lumina," described by reviewer Hedy Weiss as "a mesmerizing 11-minute piece inspired by both Hindustani ragas and an exploration of the shift between light and shadows."

Audiences at some of the tour's concerts were treated to the talents of baritone Thomas Hampson. Joining the NY Phil on June 28 in Guangzhou and July 2 in Shanghai, he reprised selections from Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn," which he also performed with the orchestra at the Usedom Music Festival in Germany in May 2022. Hampson has performed with the NY Phil over 40 times.

Moving a full orchestra and its instruments around China is no easy task. For this tour, the entire orchestra of more than 100 musicians, its music director, Jaap van Zweden, and Hampson all had to travel to China. They were accompanied by a tour photographer, a stage crew and other staff.

The orchestra says its musicians and staff traveled by train in China and their 120 pieces of cargo, inclusive of instruments and concert equipment, were transported within China via climate-controlled, 40-foot tractor trailers. Some musicians chose to hand-carry their instruments while on the tour.

Engaging in cultural activities outside of their main performances while in China was an important aspect of the tour. In Guangzhou, the orchestra musicians visited the Guangxiao Temple and the Guangzhou Museum of Art and while in Nanjing, a string quartet of NY Phil musicians performed a pop-up concert with a program featuring all women composers at the Golden Eagle International Shopping Center.

The SOA is a flagship of the NY Phil's activities in China. Launched in 2014, the Academy is a two-year postgraduate training program for orchestral musicians that provides masters-level training, including private lessons, chamber music coaching, repertoire classes, mock auditions, and professional seminars. With the exception of the pandemic from 2020 to 2022, NY Phil musicians have traveled to Shanghai every year to work one-on-one with students and participate in activities that enrich their education.

NY Phil performances in Shanghai this year were complemented by SOA education activities such as masterclasses and lessons, with NY Phil musicians providing instruction to students throughout the week of July 3 to 7. On July 2, NY Phil musicians joined the orchestra's leadership to attend the 2024 SOA commencement ceremony. Orchestra director van Zweden led a side-by-side rehearsal with the full orchestra and SOA students on July 3. NY Phil's China tour culminated with a celebration concert on July 7 with SOA students and SSO members. This special performance formed part of Shanghai's well-known Music in the Summer Air Festival – which takes place in the city until July 15 – and marked the SOA's 10th anniversary. 

NY Phil concertmaster Frank Huang described this performance as "very meaningful."

"(It was) a chance to bring together current SOA students, NY Phil members, and SSO members – many of them former SOA participants – to the same stage and share our love of music together; (it) felt incredibly special," said Huang.

"I am so grateful for this partnership that has created lasting musical bonds and lifelong friendships. Congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, and I hope we continue to build these cultural bridges together," he added.