Today the New York Philharmonic's Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership passed another milestone, when the inaugural class of young musicians graduated from the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA). The Commencement, held in Shanghai Symphony Hall’s Chamber Hall, took place while the Philharmonic is in Shanghai for its second annual performance residency as part of the Partnership, so many of the Orchestra’s musicians who served as SOA faculty were able to attend, as did Philharmonic President Matthew VanBesien (far left).
The graduates include Tong Ba, Shuang Lv, and Hui Zhang, who traveled to New York as Zarin Mehta Fellows in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program, performing in the Philharmonic in mid-June as part of their studies.
Opened in September 2014, the Shanghai Orchestra Academy is a cornerstone of the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, which provides advanced, post-graduate orchestral training. The students who graduated today studied Orchestra Performance, Chamber Music, Musicianship Skills for Orchestral Performance, and more with the insights and guidance of a faculty that includes New York Philharmonic musicians. For more information on SOA enrollment and curriculum, visit their website.
(Photo: Chris Lee)
