With 11 tours in 50 years, Philadelphia Orchestra plays key role in promoting cultural exchanges between US and China
Musicians from the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra perform during a joint concert celebrating the Chinese New Year at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on Jan 29, 2019. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Editor's note: As the Philadelphia Orchestra is visiting China to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its first tour of the country, China Daily reviews the musical journey that celebrates the enduring friendship between China and the United States. This is not just a story about music, it is a testament to the power of rhythm and melody in transcending geographical borders and language barriers, and shaping future symphonies of friendship.
As vast fields surrounding Beijing and Shanghai transformed into sprawling, towering skyscrapers, and vintage bicycles, waiting in line at traffic signals, gave way to motor vehicles, the essence of music communication remained unchanged amid these shifts.
"I'll never forget that I've never seen so many bicycles in my life," Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Davyd Booth said, recalling his first tour in China 50 years ago. "Everyone rode a bicycle. There were literally hundreds, thousands.
"When we went into Beijing, there were still a lot of fields around. We saw farmers on these wooden carts with wooden wheels. These carts were being pulled by, I think probably, water buffalo. It was amazing! It's really stepping back in my mind, the real history."
This month, 14 musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra, including Booth, are returning to China, with performances scheduled in Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou and Shanghai.
The tour marks the 50th anniversary of their first visit in the 1970s, celebrating the unique friendship between China and the United States.
Over the years, the orchestra has forged connections across China, with concerts and residencies that facilitate meaningful people-to-people interactions.
Booth said the 1973 tour was his first international trip with the orchestra, led by conductor Eugene Ormandy, who was a close friend of then-US president Richard Nixon.
"President Nixon had been to China the year before, so that was the beginning of our relationship with China. They wanted not only a musical bridge but also a cultural exchange. Nixon wanted to bring the Philadelphia Orchestra," he said.
Booth considered himself lucky to have been part of the tour. He had just auditioned and got accepted into the orchestra that year. His official start date was scheduled after the orchestra's return from China, but Booth received a call from the personnel manager informing him that someone had fallen ill. He then took the place and went to China.
"I was incredibly thrilled! Then, after I hung up, I realized I didn't even have a passport," Booth said. However, Booth recounted he got his passport and visa in just three days, thanks to the strong support from both countries. With his violin in tow, Booth joined the team on the 15-hour flight to China.
Musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra perform at the Temple of Heaven on May 30, 2012, as part of a music week organized by China's National Centre for the Performing Arts. (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY)
In addition to some regular compositions, the Philadelphia Orchestra also played the Yellow River Concerto, one of the most popular piano concertos in China even today, written by Chinese composers Yin Chengzong, Chu Wanghua, Sheng Lihong and Liu Zhuang. The Philadelphia Orchestra collaborated on this ensemble with a Chinese pianist, marking the earliest ties between the US and China in music.
After the concert, the team was hanging around on the streets, Booth said. It was a fun experience even though people did not know how to talk to locals because of language differences, he said, adding they were trying to interact with each other.
"You can communicate a lot by smiling, and it worked out very, very well," he added.
"People were very enthusiastic. They craned their necks to greet us, and we reciprocated. In our orchestra, there were two ladies with blonde hair, and some Chinese girls wanted to gently touch their hair. They were also more than willing, almost like being 'fashion icons'."
People were trying to greet them in English, Booth said, and the orchestra members tried to greet them back in Chinese.
All these experiences were beyond just music, he said.
Another highlight of Booth's trip was seeing the Summer Palace, which he said is one of the most beautiful things on Earth.
"It's just breathtaking."
The team also traveled to the Great Wall in 1973.
"It was pristine and pure," Booth said. "It's an astonishing thing, and you know every time I go back, I see things. I've noticed over the years, which is very impressive, as are the big cities. They've done so many plantings. There are beautiful trees and beautiful flowers."
After 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra has traveled to China 11 times. Frequency and connection were far closer than expected at the beginning.
The last trip was in 2019 and it was then interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the orchestra and Chinese audience are excited that the tour is resuming.
"I can say that it's historical," Booth said.
"The relationship between the United States and China will get better, and I'd like to think that a lot of it would have to do with bringing music, and it works both ways. We've had many, many events where we get together, play and work together, both Chinese and American musicians."
Booth said he is looking forward to the trip to China.
"Every time we come, it's different. And I get to see different things, and I get to eat different foods and all sorts of wonderful things."
A boy meets a musician at Tianjin Children's Hospital on June 5, 2013. The Philadelphia Orchestra visited Tianjin, a sister city of Philadelphia, to help spread the power of music. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Transformative power
Matias Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, said the orchestra is "deeply committed to the visit on this 50-year anniversary".
"The objectives remain the same today as they did in 1973: To share the transformative power of music with our audiences in China. That was true in 1973, and it's true today," he said.
"The relationship between the Philadelphia Orchestra and China is special," he said. "It's emblematic of the power of music to create connections, bonds and understanding between people."
The 1973 visit came six years before China and the US established formal diplomatic relations. "We created bonds in 1973 with China, with audiences, fellow musicians and music students that persist to this day and have been passed down through the generations," Tarnopolsky said.
The Philadelphia Orchestra's tour has not only been a significant milestone in bilateral diplomatic ties, but has also marked a deeper cultural interaction, particularly in music and among musicians.
In China and the US, the musical ties have become stronger through performances following the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as collaborations involving Chinese and US musicians, composers, conductors, educators and scholars. They are searching for connections, building connections and strengthening connections to empower music cultures from both countries.
As such, the Central Conservatory of Music, or CCOM, one of the top music institutes in China, has established exchange programs with the US higher education institutions in music.
"The exchanges are (indeed) frequent and important," Yu Hongmei, professor and director of the Chinese Music Department at CCOM, said during the US-China Music Forum, a panel discussion, as part of the China Now Music Festival held in New York last month. The festival is organized by the US-China Music Institute, which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia Orchestra's first tour of China.
The CCOM has signed cooperation agreements and established exchange programs with Columbia University School of the Arts, Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. It has also founded the Chinese Music Composition Center, Performing Arts Center and Artistic Research Center overseas.
"Civilization is more colorful through communication, and culture is enriched through mutual learning. Looking toward the future, the educational and cultural exchanges between China and the US will continue to develop," Yu said.
"These agreements allow us to carry out multilevel academic exchanges, such as faculty visits and student exchange programs, promoting the music development between China and the US."
Cai Jingdong, director of the US-China Music Institute, said, "Music bridges cultures.
"Fifty years ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra laid the foundation for China-US musical and cultural exchange. In this environment, many musicians like me have been permeated and influenced by the exchange of US-China musical culture. The connection between Chinese and American musicians has also become tighter. We have the essence of Chinese music and an international perspective and innovation from American music culture."
Cai has helped connect New York's Bard College Conservatory of Music and the CCOM. He built the Bard East/West Ensemble, which features a Western string quintet and seven traditional Chinese musical instruments: the pipa, erhu, guzheng, dizi, sheng, ruan and suona, as well as Western and Chinese percussion instruments.
"China has become a significant hub for the dissemination of Western classical music, with many professional students studying it, and we have seen a large influx of Chinese students coming to the US to study music," Cai said.
"However, in recent years, things have been changing. I hope to bring Chinese music and traditional instruments to the US. Therefore, in our music institute, we have introduced a 'degree program' for Chinese traditional instruments. It is through cultural exchange that we can mutually develop and grow.
"Music is a reflection of society. We want our own stories and music to be heard. We want our own culture and history to be shared with the rest of the world through music.
"I hope that this ensemble can continue to develop and have the opportunity to perform throughout the United States, spreading Chinese music and also showcasing American music."
Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by conductor Eugene Ormandy (center), tour the Great Wall on Sept 18, 1973. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The Philadelphia Orchestra symbolized a foundational cultural exchange during past "icebreaking" moments, Cai said. Even though China and the US are experiencing political and economic tensions, he hopes music can still serve as a breakthrough.
Educational collaborations
This year's trip of the Philadelphia Orchestra is not just about performing in major concert halls in China, but also about collaborating and cooperating with Chinese high schools, universities and civic and cultural entities, and maintaining partnerships throughout China with some of the leading performing arts organizations as well.
The orchestra is hosting a 50th anniversary side-by-side concert with the China National Symphony Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on Friday, and is also collaborating with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.
The Philadelphia Orchestra has also built educational relationships with the Tianjin Juilliard School, the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra and the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. It is going to perform in Tianjin on Saturday, Suzhou on Nov 16, and at the Shanghai Children's Palace and Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum on Nov 18.
"We have collaborated with great composers and have campaign collaborations within our concerts in China," Tarnopolsky said. "We also collaborated with folk musicians."
Tarnopolsky said they have collaborated with folk musicians around China during a historic visit to Minzu University of China in Beijing, engaging with diverse ethnic musicians.
They have a deep and meaningful connection with Shanghai Tech University, he said, and they have held master classes and panel discussions in Shanghai.
"We provide world-class musical performances on its campus and engage students in musical activities that expand the boundaries of imagination, science, and creativity.
"The trip was so important because it humanized, each for the other," he said. "Music stands very closely with the values: Collaboration and cooperation, hearing and listening, and of free expression. All these things that music represents in the world which are only good things, so that you know wherever we perform, wherever the Philadelphia Orchestra performs, music has some intrinsic and unifying qualities that are very important to help make the world a better place."
He said both the Chinese and US governments have been very supportive of this trip.
"Music is a very unifying and democratizing force. Music is deeply valued in China and in the US at the highest levels of our government. We go as an independent organization, but we deeply appreciate the support we receive both from the US government and the Chinese government.
"We're very excited to be going back to China. It's been four years since 2019. We usually go every two years. It's thrilled to be reconnecting (with) China in person," he said. "When other forms of communication aren't working, music does work."
