Shanghai Symphony Orcheastra,

A Symphonic Poem Spanning Three Different Centuries

As one of the oldest symphony orchestras in China, or even in Asia, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was founded in 1879 as the Shanghai Public Band. Later it was renamed the Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra and was once hailed as “the best in the Far East”. In 1919, when the renowned Italian pianist Mario Paci took podium, the orchestra started its performing history in association with well-known musicians from Europe and other countries. In 1956 the orchestra took the current name and gradually developed into a “cultural calling card” of Shanghai. Long Yu, the current Music Director, is the first Chinese conductor to have been invited to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the “Big Five” American symphony orchestras. He’s also the Chinese conductor with the most co-operations with top-notch orchestras all over the world.

Ever since its foundation, the SSO has established working relations with world-famous musicians, among them conductors Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Jean Perrison, Michel Plasson, Charles Dutoit, John Neal Axelrod, Jonathan Nott, Philippe Bender, Ronald Zollman, Paulo Olmi, Muhai Tang, Kek-Tjiang Lim, Christian Arming, Terje Mikkelsen, John Nelson, Jacek Kaspszyk, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maxim Vengerov, Lan Shui; violinists Pinchas Zukerman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Chantal Juillet, Joseph Silverstein, Vadim Repin, Lina Yu, Cho-Liang Lin, Wei Xue, Lu Siqing, Mengla Huang; cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Jian Wang, Liwei Qin, David Geringas, Gautier Capuçon, Haiye Ni; and pianists Fou Ts’ong, Chengzong Yin, Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Shikun Liu, Dang Thai Son, Yundi Li, Kun-Woo Paik, Katia & Marielle Labèque, etc. What’s more, the orchestra has also held successful concerts with internationally renowned vocalists like José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Jose Cura, Haojiang Tian, Jianyi Zhang, Ying Huang, Changyong Liao, Andrea Bocelli and many others.

The SSO has also created a showcase for Chinese composers to actively present to the world their compositions, which include those by the “new-generation” composers like Tan Dun, Qigang Chen, Bright Sheng, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, An-Lun Huang, Xu Shuya, Guo Wenjing, Qu Xiaosong, Ye Xiaogang and Tang Jianping. The orchestra achieved international success by working with Tan Dun on the original soundtracks of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Banquet, as well as The Map (a multimedia symphonic work). The SSO also places serious emphasis on the performance and promotion of works by contemporary Chinese composers and has maintained good relationships with them. For instance, the SSO has performed and recorded Zhu Jian-er’s complete symphonies and orchestral works with enthusiasm in 2002. Mr Zhu, winner of the Lifetime Honorary Medal of the China Golden Bell Award, is the first and only Chinese composer who has published recordings of his complete symphonies and orchestral works.

Over the years, the SSO has visited countries and regions like the US, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. On October 14, 1990, the orchestra made its debut at Carnegie Hall of New York. Recent concert highlights include its debut at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, on June 20, 2004, its Europe tour and its performances in 11 American cities in the USA in September 2003. In 2004, the orchestra toured Europe during Sino-French Culture Year. In 2005, it held a Spanish tour, and in 2007, it performed in the Goldensaal in Vienna. In 2009, under the direction of its Music Director Long Yu, the orchestra toured North America, performing 12 concerts, including the closing ceremony of the “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices” Chinese Culture Festival held at the Carnegie Hall. In its international tours, the SSO unfailingly sought to integrate Chinese elements into Western music tradition, which received rave acclaim from the audience and media coverage from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Toronto Star.

Apart from artistic pursuits, the orchestra is also committed to the introduction of western music to local people. Since early 2009, the SSO has engaged in the series of “the Shanghai New Year Concert”. With the aim of “Introducing the maestros to Shanghai, and the city residents to maestros” and the working principle of “high standard, high disciplined and high sustainability”, the SSO invited maestros Riccardo Muti and Kurt Masur to conduct New Year Concerts in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Both concerts were broadcast live to the entire country via CCTV, OTV and Phoenix TV, offering an opportunity to the whole nation to enjoy the splendor of maestros and showcasing Shanghai’s cultural image.

From Aug 12th 2010 to 22th, the “Music in the Summer Air” festival was unveiled as the first of its kind in Shanghai. It was co-hosted by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. The festival was co-chaired by Long Yu and Charles Dutoit, Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. More than twenty first-rate artists and celebrities were invited to the event, which witnessed the foundation of the Shanghai Student Symphony Orchestra and the opening ceremony of the first summer music camp for students. It proved to be a marvelous occasion for local residents, particularly the youngsters, to immerse themselves in music in the summer air. As a result, Fenyang Road, where the music festival was held, became a new cultural landmark in summer Shanghai. The Second “Music in the Summer Air” was held from July 31 to August 13, a resounding success. 5 orchestras (the Shanghai Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Macao Youth Symphony and Shanghai Youth Philharmonic), 2 choruses, 2 ensembles and maestros including Ivo Pogorelich, Daniel Barenboim, Jian Wang, Xuefei Yang, YUNDI and Ying Huang were invited to give the Shanghai audience an unforgettable high-profile musical experience.

It was a mission of the SSO to offer artistic education to local residents. The SSO Chamber Concert, the only weekly chamber concert project in Shanghai, launched in 1984 and regularized in 1991, has now hold more than 1000 events. In collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the Shanghai Education Center for Art and Technology, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra launched the MAP (Music Advancing Program) in 2010, giving interactive performances in a number of middle schools and universities.