Keeping the show on the road

The fact that online concerts are a solution for symphony orchestras to connect with their fans also inspired musicians to design shows specifically for online audiences.

In April and May 2020, the orchestra launched a series of online concerts by working with major video sites Youku and Bilibili, which are popular among younger users. The online concert series, When Museum Meets XSO, was staged at museums in Shaanxi province, such as the Shaanxi History Museum, the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, and the Xi'an Museum.

A team from the orchestra shot videos of the museums and items on display, which were broadcast during the concerts. Millions of viewers watched the When Museum Meets XSO online concert series.

As well as online indoor concerts, the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra also put on outdoor performances at iconic sites in the province. For example, a concert, titled XSO Meets Huashan Mountain Summit Clouds Rhapsody, took place in July 2020, which saw more than 200 musicians from the orchestra, under the baton of conductor Tang Muhai, perform on Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi province, one of China's five most famous mountains, known for its picturesque, steep and perilous peaks.

Over 50 million people watched the virtual concert.

"If there is one good thing that has come of this pandemic, it's that people are desperately longing to hear music performed live again. It is as though many only now fully appreciate just how much of a gift music is," says conductor Li Biao, who, on Feb 5,2020, led the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in performing English composer Edward Elgar's piece, Salut d'Amour. The orchestra released a series of online concerts before it gave its first public performance in front of a live audience on July 31,2020, at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.