On the afternoon of August 4^th New York time, the Beijing Youth Orchestra shined on the stage of Carnegie Hall during World Orchestra Week. Under the baton of maestro LÜ Jia, the Orchestra, alongside the pipa virtuoso WU Man, performed three excerpts from BAO Yuankai’s Chinese Sights and Sounds, ZHAO Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor.

Under the baton of maestro LÜ Jia, the Beijing Youth Orchestra performed Chinese and Western classics alongside the pipa virtuoso WU Man

Photo by Chris Lee

 

The performance began with the orchestra members turning up with one following the other from the two aisles behind the auditorium. The audience jumped into passionate interaction with them and gave them high fives to cheer them on.

Before the performance, two performer representatives, CUI Bingxuan and WANG Fucan, delivered welcome speeches on behalf of the orchestra.

Maestro LÜ Jia conducted the Beijing Youth Orchestra

Photo by Chris Lee

Then under Artistic Director LÜ Jia’s baton, about 130 young musicians from the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra interpreted the three Chinese and Western music masterpieces with passion and strong teamwork spirit, and won rounds of applause from the audience.

The concert ended with two encores - Purple Bamboo Tune and Jubilance at Sunrise. After the concert, these young musicians were warmly welcomed and applauded by audience and fellow musicians form other countries.

The concert was also streamed live worldwide on WQXR, a time-honoured classical music radio station in the US.

The Beijing Youth Orchestra won warm applause from the audience

Photo by Chris Lee

Stepping off the stage, Director LÜ Jia said to the orchestra, “When the orchestra was just established, I told the boys and girls that we, as young people, should show our passion for music, art and life. Today they did so well. They brought out the best in themselves. They’ve gained a rich spiritual experience in music and explored the charm of Chinese and Western cultures. I’m sure this unforgettable experience will have long-lasting benefits to their lives.”

Pipa virtuosos WU Man also appreciated the Beijing Youth Orchestra’s musical performance. “I’m so familiar with this work by ZHAO Jiping. The cooperation with these vibrant young people is the most memorable for me. Their performance in Beijing had already impressed me a lot, and one week later, they surprised me much more greatly. In my mind, they represent the best of modern Chinese.”

Handwritings of wishes for a better world

Every concert held at the First “WOW! World Orchestra Week” is penetrated with a well-designed highlight - handwritings in different languages are projected onto both sides of the interior wall of the magnificent Isaac Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall before the performance and during intermission. The handwritings were collected from the seven symphony orchestras from five continents involved in the World Orchestra Week. These wishes for the future world, made by the musicians from different countries, are written down in their native languages. The wish written down by the young musicians from Beijing drew bursts of applause from the audience.

Beijing Youth Orchestra members participated in the “Wish for Our World" initiative

To further strengthen the exchanges among different youth orchestras so that the multiple perspectives of young people from around the world should be presented on the scene, a peer exchange activity, entitled “Wish for Our World”, was launched at the Paulson Centre, New York University on the morning of the Performance Day. On the mornings of August 2^nd and 3^rd, the musicians of the Beijing Youth Orchestra took part in colourful events together with their fellow musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, Africa United Youth Orchestra and Afghanistan Youth Orchestra. With great passion, the attendees had an exchange with one another on their favourite musical works and target professions. More importantly, they shared their visions for a better world.

In the next two days, the Beijing Youth Orchestra will watch concerts held at the Carnegie Hall by the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America under Marin Alsop’s baton and European Union Youth Orchestra under Ivan Fischer’s leadership. On August 5^th, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra will join in the “Grand Ensemble for Young Musicians from Five Continents”, a special event to be carried out during the “WOW! World Orchestra Week”. About 1,000 performers from the seven symphony orchestras will rehearse together under Conductor Dudamel’s baton. The Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America will jointly give a concert themed “Music as Beneficial Friend for Eternal Success” at the Chinese Consulate General in New York on August 6^th.