Chinese orchestra to perform in America

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-17 20:44

BEIJING - A Chinese orchestra will perform at big-name concert halls in America over the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year festival.

The Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, based in eastern Shandong Province, will give concerts between January 21?and February 2, said the China Art and Entertainment Group, the tour organizer, in a press release here Saturday.

The orchestra will debut at the Sanders Theatre of Harvard University on January 23. It will also perform at Yale University, Carnegie Hall in New York and Kean University in New Jersey. The last show will be at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at Washington.

Modern Chinese works, such as the piano concerto "The Yellow River", adapted by Yin Chengzong from the cantata of the same name by late composer Xian Xinghai in 1939, and "Pipa Concerto" by composer Ye Xiaogang will be performed.

Also on the playlist are American classics like, "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin and music from "West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein.

"We hope to introduce modern Chinese music to the US audience and also share with them our version of US classics," said Chi Tao, director of the orchestra.

Several well known Chinese artists are with the orchestra, including conductor Hu Yongyan, pianists Yin Chengzong and Sa Chen, oboist Liang Wang and Pipa (Chinese lute) player Zhang Hongyan.

The group will join with the New York Choral Society and the Choral Arts Society of Washington during the tour.

"It is a very rare opportunity for a musician to perform at music halls like Carnegie Hall," said Yang Chang, a violinist of the orchestra, "To play US classic music in their motherland is a big challenge for Chinese musicians. But, no matter where we play and who the audience is, we will give them our best performance. Through our music, we hope they feel friendliness from China."