Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra to Perform Two Concerts in Partnership with Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina Commemorating 50th Anniversary of Historic 1973 China Tour September 20–21, 2023

(Philadelphia, August 16, 2023)—The Philadelphia Orchestra will travel to North Carolina under the baton of Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin for two performances in partnership with Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, September 20–21, 2023. The concerts—the Orchestra’s first in Chapel Hill—will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Orchestra’s historic 1973 tour of China, the first by an American orchestra. In addition, musicians of the Orchestra will lead master classes with student musicians, and two musicians of the Orchestra who participated in the 1973 tour, Davyd Booth and Renard Edwards, will join a panel discussion on arts diplomacy. 

David Kim, celebrating the start of his 25th season as Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster, will serve as soloist for the September 20 program, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Nézet-Séguin will also lead the Orchestra in Anne Clyne’s This Moment and Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3. The September 21 concert will feature Nézet-Séguin leading Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, a highlight of one of the Orchestra’s 1973 performances in Beijing. Former Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor Lio Kuokman will lead the Orchestra in Wu Fei’s Hello Gold Mountain, inspired by the stories of Jewish refugees who fled to Shanghai during World War II. The piece features Wu Fei performing on the guzheng and Shanir Blumenkranz performing on the oud, traditional Chinese and Jewish instruments.  

“We look forward to connecting with audiences in North Carolina at one of the country’s great public universities,” said Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “Our performances in Memorial Hall will celebrate our unwavering commitment to sharing the transformative power of music.”  

“We are delighted to commemorate the Orchestra’s 1973 tour of China during this momentous anniversary year with our partners in North Carolina,” said Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “The Philadelphia Orchestra was in 1973, and continues to be to this day, a global leader in the important work of building bridges between people and cultures through music. We are very grateful to Alison Friedman and her team at Carolina Performing Arts for their vision in creating this residency, and for their warm invitation to celebrate this anniversary, through music, on the campus of UNC.” 

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long and distinguished touring history, connecting with people throughout 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 at the special request of President Richard Nixon. Since that first visit, the Orchestra has returned 11 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 bridge for people-to-people exchange. 

 

September 20 at 7:30 PM—Wednesday evening—Memorial Hall  

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor 
David Kim Violin  

Clyne This Moment 
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 
Price Symphony No. 3 

 

September 21 at 7:30 PM—Thursday evening—Memorial Hall 

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor 
Lio Kuokman Conductor  
Wu Fei Guzheng, Vocalist       
Shanir Blumenkranz Oud 

Wu Hello Gold Mountain 
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 

 

Click here for more information and tickets.  

About Carolina Performing Arts 

Carolina Performing Arts is the leading multi-arts presenter in the American South, housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Our mission is to spark curiosity and inspire community members to discover and more deeply engage with the world. We collaborate with artists from Carolina’s campus and across the globe to create performing arts experiences. In under two decades, CPA has presented thousands of performances and master classes by more than 450 artists from 56 countries and territories, commissioned 69 new works and hosted 48 world and U.S. premieres. Our performances, engagement efforts and campus partnerships have reached hundreds of thousands of patrons, students and faculty.