The Philadelphia Orchestra to Tour China October 31–November 10, 2024
October 08, 2024Led by Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop
First Visit Since 2019
Tour continues momentum of November 2023 small ensemble residency, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic 1973 Tour of China, the first by an American orchestra
Concerts in Beijing, Tianjin, Chengdu, and Haikou coincide with 45 years of U.S.-China relations
Orchestra to visit Chengdu for the first time; will become the first American orchestra to travel to Hainan province
Pipa player Wu Man and pianist George Li to join as soloists
November 2 concert in Beijing to feature world premiere of Mason Bates work setting the Tang poem “Spring River Flowers by Moonlight” alongside other settings of ancient Chinese lyrical texts by composers from around the world
Orchestra to travel on a special charter flight, thanks to Hainan Airlines sponsorship
Residency activities to take place throughout tour, and in Shanghai, Wuxi, and Nanchang following full Orchestra tour
(Philadelphia, October 8, 2024)—For the first time since 2019, the full Philadelphia Orchestra will return to China to share the joy of orchestral music through concerts and residency activities that serve as a bridge for people-to-people exchange. Newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop, who has an over 30-year history with the Orchestra that includes performances in Philadelphia; Saratoga Springs, NY; Vail, CO; and at Carnegie Hall, will lead the tour, bringing the “Philadelphia Sound” to Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Chengdu and Haikou for the first time, with renowned pipa player Wu Man and acclaimed pianist George Li as soloists. The visit—coinciding with 45 years of official U.S.-China diplomatic relations—will mark the 45th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Philadelphia and Tianjin, the first time an American orchestra has traveled to Hainan province, and the Orchestra’s 13th tour of China—the most by any American orchestra. The Orchestra will travel on a non-stop flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Beijing, thanks to a sponsorship from Hainan Airlines, which is providing a special charter flight on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft for the tour party and its cargo.
In November 2023, 14 members of the Orchestra traveled to China for residency activities that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the ensemble’s historic 1973 Tour of China, the first by an American orchestra. In a letter from President Biden, the Orchestra was celebrated for serving “as a bridge between our nations, strengthening the bonds that bring our people together.” This visit will build on the momentum of that trip, bringing opportunity for collaboration and celebration with the full Orchestra.
“The Philadelphia Orchestra’s journeys to China demonstrate a belief in the possibility of progress through dialogue; they make real the principle that music gives voice to thoughts and ideas that words alone cannot convey,” said President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “Commemorating our 50-year relationship with the people of China last fall was an inspiring experience—one heralded by Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, concurrent with their summit in San Francisco. We look forward to continuing our decades-long conversation with the people of China and hope that our concerts and residency activities will continue to build positive cultural bridges between China and the United States.”
The November 2 concert in Beijing will feature the world premiere of a new work by Mason Bates, commissioned for the Orchestra, a setting of the Tang poem “Spring River Flowers by Moonlight.” The piece will be part of a special program featuring other settings of ancient Chinese lyrical texts written by composers from around the world, part of the iSing! International Festival’s Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems program, which was given its North American premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra in celebration of Lunar New Year in 2023.
In addition, throughout the tour, the Orchestra will perform Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”), Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra, Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, and Zhao’s Pipa Concerto No. 2.
The November 4 concert in Beijing will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the China Conservatory of Music, presented in collaboration with the Global Music Education League.
Tour Concert Schedule
Beijing October 31 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
Beijing November 1 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
Beijing November 2 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
Tianjin November 3 at the Tianjin Grand Theatre
Beijing November 4 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
Chengdu November 7 at the Phoenix Hill Sports Park
Haikou November 9 at the Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts
Haikou November 10 at the Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts
A complete listing of concert programs can be found here.
Residency Activities
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s signature residency program has created a two-way exchange that showcases artistic excellence on stage and demonstrates an enduring commitment to offstage work in education and engagement. Through music lessons in schools, performances in hospitals, master classes, events with diplomats and business leaders, and pop-up community performances, the Orchestra and its partners connect musicians with their communities in meaningful ways.
Throughout the 2024 Tour of China, members of the Orchestra will participate in various residency activities. In Beijing, musicians will perform at the National Museum of China and visit the residence of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. In Chengdu, musicians of the Orchestra will perform side-by-side with members of the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra on November 6, in a performance at the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall at 7:30 PM. Small ensembles will also perform at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Chengdu Tianfu Art Museum. Residency activities will continue in Haikou with a pop-concert at the Cloudscape of Haikou Library and a joint performance with the Silk Road Ensemble at Hainan University.
Following the tour, a group of musicians will travel to Shanghai, Wuxi, and Nanchang for additional residency activities, including performances with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, and Nanchang Symphony Orchestra, as well as coaching sessions at ShanghaiTech University and with members of local orchestras in Wuxi and Nanchang.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Touring History in China
The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long and distinguished touring history, connecting with people around the world through music, and is one of the most-traveled American symphonic ensembles. In 1973, under the direction of Eugene Ormandy, The Philadelphia Orchestra became the first American orchestra to perform in China. Since that historic visit, the Orchestra has returned 12 times, most recently in 2019. The Orchestra has developed deep, impactful connections throughout China as a result of concerts and residencies that serve as a cultural bridge for people-to-people exchange. This 50-year relationship with the people of China continues today in concert halls, educational institutions, and civic settings with various long-term partners.
Tour Supporters
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2024 Tour of China is made possible through the generous support of Lead Sponsor Bank of China, Premiere Sponsor Hainan Airlines, and the Ford Foundation. The Orchestra is grateful to its tour partners—the United States Mission in China, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries—whose support and collaboration make the 2024 Tour of China possible.
Additional support for this tour comes from the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, Philadelphia International Airport, White and Williams, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Ruder Finn, the Official PR Agency for the 2024 Tour of China.
Mason Bates’s new work based on the Tang poem “Spring River Flowers by Moonlight” was co-commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the China International Culture Association, with additional support from the US-China Cultural Institute, in memory of Shirley Young.
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