The Philadelphia Orchestra staged the premier concert of its ongoing China tour in Beijing on Thursday, celebrating the U.S. ensemble’s half-century bond with China. Calling the trip an “epic tour,” Matias Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, told Xinhua that “the relationship is now in its second 50 years. We value the connections that we started in 1973, now through multiple generations.”
As the first American orchestra to visit China after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, its historic tour marked a thaw in China-U.S. cultural exchange. Chinese and American leaders have commended the orchestra as an active cultural envoy, instrumental in strengthening China-U.S. ties.
The orchestra is scheduled to present nine concerts on its China tour from Oct. 31 to Nov. 10, as China and the United States celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
In addition to Beijing and Tianjin, the orchestra will make its debut in Chengdu and Haikou.
The entire orchestra joined the visit, which is so important to build people-to-people connections, meaning greater understanding and connections between two cultures, Tarnopolsky said.
Chinese elements will be added to the orchestra’s subsequent performances on this China tour, including traditional Chinese musical instrument, the pipa, and musical works from across the world inspired by ancient Chinese poems and lyrics. Two of the troupe’s musicians were part of the 1973 tour to China. One of them, American violinist Davyd Booth, 74, said that he joined every one of the orchestra’s 14 trips to China, during which he made many Chinese friends and stayed in touch with them through social media. “Although we play all over the world, there is no other country that we have become so close with and developed such a close and enduring relationship,” he added.