New York Philharmonic

Four-Year Partnership To Include Orchestral Academy and Performance
Residencies in Shanghai and New York

Academy To Begin Fall 2014; First Residency To Take Place Summer 2015

The New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with CAMI Music, today announced that they have signed an agreement for a four-year partnership that will include the establishment of an Orchestral Academy in Shanghai, as well as annual performance residencies by the Philharmonic in Shanghai through the 2017-18 season. The agreement was signed in a ceremony held at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York, attended by New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert, Chairman Gary W. Parr, and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien, as well as Long Yu, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; Madam Tiehui Weng, Vice General Secretary of Shanghai Municipal of People's Government/Chairman of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Council; Guangxian Chen, President of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and Shuya Xu, President of the Shanghai Conservatory.

The Orchestral Academy will address a need for specialized training of orchestra musicians, identified by Long Yu as one of the main issues of orchestral development in Asia and an area that the New York Philharmonic will be exploring in the context of a global strategy. New York Philharmonic musicians will provide high-level orchestral training and instruction to Academy students at the Shanghai Conservatory through three week-long sessions each season, beginning in the fall of 2014, plus one session during each of the Orchestra's residencies. The first New York Philharmonic performance residency in Shanghai, which will take place in the summer of 2015, will include orchestral concerts in or near Shanghai as well as a Young People's Concert, and additional Academy activities, such as master classes and educational seminars.

The partnership between the Shanghai Symphony and the New York Philharmonic is a wonderful way to have music as a common language between two of the world's greatest cities, said Gary W. Parr, Chairman of the New York Philharmonic. We expect this multifaceted relationship to bring the people of these communities even closer together.

New York Philharmonic - Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Academy and Residency

This multiyear partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Conservatory presents us with a very exciting opportunity to work with the best young musicians in China, create a vibrant platform for orchestral training, and foster the exchange of ideas, said New York Philharmonic Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. The Philharmonic has a rich history of touring across the globe, but the idea of establishing a significant performance and educational presence in such an important city as Shanghai takes our commitment to reach across borders to a new level. I am looking forward to working with Maestro Long Yu, and to seeing the Philharmonic share our wealth of talent and expertise with our Shanghai colleagues — and to the fresh perspectives and ideas our musicians who are working with students there will bring home to New York.

China is a very important destination for classical musicians, said New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert, and I am eager to perform for the enthusiastic Shanghai audiences with the Philharmonic. But this residency takes the idea of cross-cultural influence and enrichment a step further through the creation of the Orchestral Academy; the modern orchestra should be a resource, and we at the Philharmonic are excited about the possibilities of sharing our expertise and love of music with the music students in China.

The New York Philharmonic is a very gracious host and partner as well as a vibrant and exciting performing ensemble, said Long Yu, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. This new initiative takes our long-standing collaboration to an even deeper level, and I know that the Shanghai Orchestra Academy students, representing the best future orchestra players from all over Asia, will benefit greatly from the talent and wisdom of both the New York and Shanghai musicians, just as I know that our audience will enjoy the virtuosity of the Orchestra's performances. There is a striking similarity between Shanghai and New York, two extraordinary cosmopolitan metropolises whose residents strive for perfection and innovation. We are kindred spirits and we are excited to make history together by actively helping to ensure a bright future for classical music.

The New York Philharmonic made its debut performance in Shanghai on the Asia 2008 tour, under the baton of then-Music Director Lorin Maazel, which was followed by the Orchestra's historic concert in Pyongyang, DPRK. Since then, the Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra shared a stage when the latter, conducted by Long Yu, appeared on the first half of one of the 2010 Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, in Central Park, in celebration of Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The Philharmonic gave its first-ever Chinese New Year Gala Concert in February 2012, conducted by Long Yu; a second celebration will take place February 12, 2013, also conducted by Long Yu.

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world; on May 5, 2010, it performed its 15,000th concert — a milestone unmatched by any other symphony orchestra in the world. The Orchestra has always played a leading role in American musical life, championing the music of its time, and is renowned around the globe, having appeared in 431 cities in 63 countries — including its 2009 debut in Vietnam and its 2008 historic visit to Pyongyang, DPRK, earning the 2008 Common

New York Philharmonic - Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Academy and Residency

Ground Award for Cultural Diplomacy. Concerts are broadcast on the weekly syndicated radio program The New York Philharmonic This Week, streamed on nyphil.org, and have been telecast annually on Live From Lincoln Center on U.S. public television since 1976. The Philharmonic has made almost 2,000 recordings since 1917, with more than 500 currently available. The first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live, the Philharmonic released the first-ever classical iTunes Pass in 2009-10 and continues its self-produced recordings with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2012-13 Season. The Orchestra has built on the long-running Young People's Concerts to develop a wide range of education programs, including the School Partnership Program, enriching music education in New York City, and Learning Overtures, fostering international exchange. Alan Gilbert became Music Director, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, in September 2009, succeeding a distinguished line of 20th-century musical giants that goes back to Mahler and Toscanini. Credit Suisse is the New York Philharmonic's exclusive Global Sponsor.

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is the earliest and the most well-known ensemble of its kind in Asia. Originally known as the Shanghai Public Band, the ensemble developed into an orchestra in 1907, and was renamed the Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Notably under the baton of the Italian conductor Mario Paci, the orchestra promoted Western music and trained Chinese young talents very early on in China, and introduced the first Chinese orchestral work. It has therefore been considered the best in the Far East. The history of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra may be referred to as the history of the development of China's symphonic music.

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has now embraced a new era; it has given more than 10,000 concerts, including premiere performances of several thousand musical works, and has collaborated with many world-renowned conductors, soloists, and vocalists. The orchestra has gained a reputation as the most authoritative exponent of Chinese symphonic compositions. The orchestra has become increasingly influential both at home and abroad, and has recently completed audio and video recordings of such works as Zhu Jian'er's symphonies, Tan Dun's multimedia concerto The Map, and music for the Oscar and Grammy Award-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Since the 1970s the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has toured extensively abroad. In 1990 it made its debut at Carnegie Hall; in 2003 the ensemble performed in 11 U.S. cities; and in 2004 it toured Europe to celebrate the Sino-French Cultural Year. It was the first Chinese symphony orchestra to play in the Berlin Philharmonie, where it gave its 125th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Long Yu is the current music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2012