Beijing orchestra strikes European chord

NCPA embarks on a landmark summer tour, showcasing youthful talent, global vision and Chinese music's universal resonance, Julian Shea reports in London.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts has named Chinese Canadian violinist Li Zhe as executive director of its resident orchestra, a move announced just as the ensemble returned from its first full-scale European tour. The appointment marks both a personal milestone for Li, long-serving concertmaster and one of the orchestra's most senior players, and a symbolic moment for the group, which is striving for greater international recognition.

Founded in 2010, the Beijing-based NCPA Orchestra has grown rapidly in stature under the direction of internationally renowned conductors. This summer, led by maestro Myung-whun Chung, it performed at major festivals including the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, Saffron Hall in England, the Santander International Festival in Spain, and in the German cities of Koblenz and Hamburg. In Hamburg, the orchestra received a standing ovation, a sign that the young ensemble is now ready to be measured on Europe's most competitive stages.

With an average age of 32, and comprising musicians from all over the world but mainly China, the orchestra brings together a wide range of young talent. It performs live to around 200,000 people annually, with millions more tuning in online.

General manager Ren Xiaolong recalls suggesting to Chung that they tour together years ago, but the conductor wanted to wait until the group had matured. Only in 2019 did plans begin to take shape.

For Li, who has served as concertmaster since 2012, the timing was right. "It's just about waiting for the opportunity to do a proper tour," he says. "We toured Germany in earlier years, but this was our first true European tour. Europe is very important for classical music as this is where it comes from. The musicians needed to be ready artistically and mentally."

Born in 1978, Li studied at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music before earning scholarships to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and the Universite de Montreal in Canada.