National Youth Orchestra of China

The National Youth Orchestra of China (in red) rehearsing alongside the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (in blue) at Purchase College on July 16, 2017.

The inaugural NYO-China, comprising 105 students, gathered in early July on East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania to begin their two-week residency under resident conductor Jindong Cai, professor of conducting at Stanford University, and a suite of bilingual teaching artists recruited from leading orchestras worldwide; concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Frank Huang served as the teaching artist for the orchestra's violin section.[9] Besides full orchestral and sectional rehearsals, students also attended seminars and workshops on Alexander Technique with Lori Schiff and improvisation with Eugene Friesen, as well as chamber music activities coordinated by the residency's staff.[9] Students also recorded with WQXR-FM and From the Top on NPR, participated in excursions to Yale University and New York City, and rehearsed with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) at their residency at Purchase College in New York.[10]

The National Youth Orchestra of China performing with Yuja Wang and Ludovic Morlot (hidden) at Carnegie Hall on July 22, 2017.

Music Director of the Seattle Symphony Ludovic Morlot joined the orchestra to lead rehearsals during the latter half of the residency. On July 22, the orchestra premiered at Carnegie Hall’s 2804-seat Main Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage) with Morlot conducting and Yuja Wang performing on piano in a sold-out concert simultaneously streamed to audiences worldwide via Medici.tv.[11] In attendance was the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, which itself had performed one day prior on the same stage.[12] The orchestra then embarked on a concert tour of China, performing at the Beijing Concert Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre. Winner of the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Olga Kern joined the orchestra for its performances in China.[13] As part of their official performance uniform, students adorned specially commissioned vests designed by Chinese couture designer Guo Pei.

The orchestra’s concert program included “The Rhyme of Taigu” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long; Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; and Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World” (popularly known as the New World Symphony) by Antonín Leopold Dvořák.[3] “Thunder in the Drought”, a Chinese folk song arranged for orchestra by Ye Xiaogang, served as the ensemble's encore piece.

NYO-China's 2017 residency and concert tour is the subject of Orchestra with Chinese Characteristics, a documentary by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Christine Choy.[14]

NYO-China returned in 2018 as a smaller program for 21 students centered around the art and performance of chamber music. Following a residency at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with musicians Qing Li, Yong Ma, and Guang Chen, students performed alongside faculty at multiple venues throughout mainland China; these included: the Yale Center Beijing, the Central Conservatory of Music Opera & Concert Hall, New York University Shanghai, the Chuansha Piano Festival, and the Qingdao Eurochestries Festival.[15]

Select students were also invited to perform alongside members of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America at a private recital at the United States Embassy in Beijing with United States Ambassador to China Terry Branstad in attendance.[16]

The National Youth Orchestra of China with Ludovic Morlot performing at Young Euro Classic on August 5, 2019.

The 2019 season saw the return of the full orchestra, with 101 students gathering for a residency at Shanghai University in July. As was the case in 2017, each section was taught by a dedicated faculty member recruited from among the principal players of preeminent international orchestras. The program's 2017 conductor Ludovic Morlot also returned to lead rehearsals throughout the entire duration of the residency.[17]

On August 1, the orchestra premiered at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center with pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the first and only American to win the International Chopin Piano Competition. It then traveled to Berlin, Germany to make its European debut at Young Euro Classic, a festival of renowned youth orchestras including the European Union Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain held annually at the Konzerthaus Berlin; the sold-out concert was also broadcast live to audiences throughout Europe on ARTE and later featured on CCTV for viewers in China.[18] The orchestra then continued to Snape, Suffolk in he United Kingdom to perform at the Snape Proms, and thereafter concluded its tour in Bolzano, Italy with a concert at the Bolzano Festival Bolzen.[19]

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming meeting students from the National Youth Orchestra of China following a performance at the Chinese Embassy in London on August 6, 2019.

While in the United Kingdom, select students were invited to perform at the Embassy of China in London in a chamber concert attended and hosted by Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming. Chinese Ambassador to Germany Wu Ken was also in attendance at the orchestra's performance in Berlin and met with students following their concert.[5]

The program featured the “Tianjin Suite” by Ye Xiaogang; Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat minor (commonly referred to as the Emperor Concerto) by Ludwig van Beethoven; and Symphony No. 5 in D minor by Dmitri Shostakovich.[20] Encores for this season included “Dance of the Drayman” from Shostakovich's The Bolt and an orchestral arrangement of the popular Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”.

In November 2019, NYO-China announced plans for a 2020 Sinfonietta Series that would bring students to Moscow, Russia among various other destinations in mainland China. Featuring violinist Simone Porter, the ensemble was set to perform Beethoven's Coriolan Overture and Symphony No. 7 in A minor, as well as Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte.[21] However, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of concert venues in both Russia and China, the season was indefinitely postponed. Students accepted into the 2020 program were instead invited to participate in a three-week remote residency with NYO-China faculty and conductor Ludovic Morlot.[22]

In interviews, Managing Director Vincent Accettola has mentioned plans to take the orchestra to a different continent or geographic locus every season, and that prospective tour destinations for future seasons include Australia and Oceania, North America, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean.[6]