Philadelphia Orchestra returns to ShanghaiTech University
The Philadelphia Orchestra fulfilled its promise to ShanghaiTech University students by returning to the campus to stage a chamber concert together with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.
It was exactly a year earlier that the orchestra paid its 13th visit to China, which served as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of its first visit in 1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra was the first American orchestra to visit the People's Republic of China half a century ago at the suggestion of then-US president Richard Nixon.
They visited ShanghaiTech University for master classes and also performed last year.
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra musicians present a chamber concert at ShanghaiTech University on Wednesday.
The Philadelphia Orchestra joined with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra for a chamber concert on Wednesday evening, which attracted over 800 visitors.
The musicians performed works by Beethoven, Dvorak, and Weber, and "From Holberg's Time" by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, in memory of Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg.
In addition to classic symphonies, the programs also featured the original composition "The Suhe Creek" by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra's resident composer Gong Tianpeng.
The musicians perform both Western classics and original Chinese compositions.
Amid the warm applause of the audiences, Chinese and American musicians returned to the stage near the end of the concert and jointly performed the classic Chinese folk song "Reflections of the Moon on Erquan."
Earlier in the day, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts executive director Ryan Fleur and composer Gong held an open dialogue for ShanghaiTech University students, during which they discussed creativity in music and shared their personal stories.
The last time musicians from the two orchestras performed together in Shanghai was in 2019.
"It was five years ago that we performed together with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra," Fleur said. "We hope to enhance our collaboration with the local orchestra and local university in the future to achieve mutual growth."
"Although the school is known for its strengths in science and engineering, we really welcome these inspiring opportunities to communicate with the world's top orchestras and masters up close," said Master's student Liu Yuchen, who is also a member of the university's orchestra.
