Tour Date: 28 Nov – 7 Dec, 2010
GSO is the first and the only Chinese symphony orchestra that has left music footprints in five continents around the world, which received highly reputation both at home and overseas.
Repertoire The Tour
Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) was founded in 1957. After decades of artistic growth, GSO becomes one of the most prestigious orchestras in China.
Maestro Long Yu, the current music director, is a Chinese conductor with an established international reputation. He has appeared as guest conductor collaborated with numerous prestigious orchestras and opera companies in the world. He holds also Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival.
The pursuit of artistic improvement and artistic identity is well maintained throughout the GSO growing history. The orchestra has performed alongside many of the world’s leading artists, including Li Delun, Zheng Xiaoying, Huang Xiaotong, Yan Liangkun, Han Zhongjie, Xu Xin, Bian Zushan, Tang Muhai, Chen Xieyang, Zhang Guoyong, Tan Lihua, Yu Feng, Hu Yongyan, En Shao, Wing-sie Yip, Li Xincao, Yang Yang, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Krzysztof Penderecki, Claus Peter Flor, Klaus Weise, John Nelson, Jiri Belohlavek, Martha Argerich, Gary Graffman, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Annie Suphie Mutter, Mischa Maisky, Sarah Chang, Augustin Dumay, Joseph Silverstein, Emanuel Ax, Barry Douglas, Jahja Ling, Kun-Woo Paik, Jian Wang, Lang Lang, Tan Dun, Qigang Chen, Guo Wenjing, Chen Yi, Zhou Long and many others both at home and abroad.
Repertoire Besides performing regular symphonic concerts, the orchestra developed its potentiality to opera and ballet performances. GSO produced and performed at least one opera concert per season since 2004. The productions of operas have included Carmen, La Traviata, The Magic Flute, Turandot and Tosca. Moreover, GSO has presented numerous performances in collaboration with world leading ballet companies, such as English National Ballet, Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet Company of the Hungarian State Opera, Germany National Ballet, Australian Ballet, Cuba National Ballet, and Hong Kong Ballet. The productions of ballet repertoire have included Swan Lake,The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderalla, The Tales of Hoffman, Les Sylphides, La Traviata, and Anna Karenina.
Since 1990, the orchestra has performed more than twenty concerts in Hong Kong Arts Festival, Festival De Artes De Macau, and Macau International Music Festival, and gained great critical acclaims.
In November 1993, the orchestra received an Excellency Award from the Ministry of Culture on the event of the 1st National Conducting Competition that was organized by GSO.
A reformation in the orchestra took place in 1997, a new “Music Season” system was introduced, which lead GSO toward a direction of professionalism. The new administrative and training system has pushed the orchestra to a higher artistic level. The successful reformation was written in GSO’s development history as an important turning point.
GSO was named “A Shining Star” at the 1st Beijing International Music Festival in October 1998 for its performance of the opera La Boheme. Later at the 2nd Beijing International Music Festival in 1999, GSO gave a French opera performance of Carmen. At the 3rd Beijing International Music Festival in 2000, GSO performed a French opera Werther. “It was the best sound I ever heard from among Chinese orchestras” the famous Polish composer Mr. Krzysztof Penderecki remarked after listening to GSO`s music presentation. In addition, the media in Beijing reported: “it is heart lightening to see GSO rising from the southern China so quickly and becomes one of the mainstream orchestras”. In October 2002, GSO gave the PRC premiere of Mahler’s Symphony No.8 (Symphony of a Thousand) with about a thousand Chinese and foreign musician at the opening concert of the 5th Beijing Music Festival.
The Tour In September 1999, celebrating the Asian Month in Fukuoka Japan, GSO members were invited to join a “united orchestra” which was formed by members from seven visiting orchestras of seven nations in Asia and Australia. In August 2000, on behalf of Guangdong Province, GSO visited South Korea, where it gave a successful concert performance.
In November 2001, GSO presented concerts with pianist Yundi Li and Sa Chen at Vienna Musikverein Golden Hall in Austria, Brucknerhaus Hall in Linz, province of Upper Austria, and Berlin, Mainz in Germany, and received great acclaim.
In December 2003, GSO collaborated with cellist Mischa Maisky in Europe, including the performances at Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Luxemburg. Later on the tour, GSO traveled to Egypt, Africa and presented two concerts at Cairo Opera House and Alexander Opera House. 2003 GSO Europe-Africa Tour received great critical acclaim and its artistry level has been acknowledged internationally.
In July 2004, GSO has successfully made its Australian debut performance in the Sydney Opera House. In August 2005, the orchestra toured to Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand, the sister cities with Guangzhou, gained highly acclaim with their wonderful performances.
Highlights in that music season, GSO toured U.S.A with violinist Augustin Dumay in September 2005. On that tour, the orchestra made its debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Hall in Boston. In that October, GSO performed with pianist Lang Lang in the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to have the first performance for the “Chinese Art Festival” organized by the China Ministry of Culture.
Following the U.S. tour, GSO also traveled to Japan on invitation for celebrating the Asian Orchestra Week 2005 and presented two concerts at the Symphony Hall in Osaka and Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo. Just after that, GSO toured to Hawaii and had performance in the Neal S Blaisdell Concert Hall, for celebrating the friendship between Guangdong Province and Hawaii City for the 20th anniversary.
In December 2006, the orchestra was invited to perform both in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 15th Asian Games holding in Doha. The orchestra gained great honor on behalf of China with their excellent performance.
In October 2009, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, GSO participated in two significant international culture events in Europe – the Opening Concert for the Festival EUROPALIA CHINA 2009 in Brussels, Belgium on October 8th and the Chinese Music Themes Concert in Asia-Pacific Week on October 12th in the Konzerthaus Berlin in Germany.
Until now, GSO is the first and the only one Chinese symphony orchestra that has left music footprints in five continents around the world, which received highly reputation both at home and overseas.
Date & Time:
29th November 2010, Teatro La Fenice ("The Phoenix") Venice, Italy "Chinese Culture Year in Italy" & the Celebration Gala Series for the 40th Anniversary of China- Italy Diplomatic Relations
1st December 2010, Teatro Verdi di Firenze Italy "Chinese Culture Year in Italy" & the Celebration Gala Series for the 40th Anniversary of China- Italy Diplomatic Relations
5th December 2010, Sala Santa Cecilia Roma Italy "Chinese Culture Year in Italy" & the Celebration Gala Series for the 40th Anniversary of China- Italy Diplomatic Relations
7th December 2010, Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland Closing Concert of “CULTURESCAPES CHINA 2010” in Switzerland
8th December 2010, Schaaner Saal, Liechtenstein The Celebration Concert for the 60th Anniversary of China-Liechtenstein Diplomatic Relations
Special thanks to:
Hotel Terrace Engelberg
For booking inquiry please contact:
Ms. Sherry Zhang, Chinese Artists Assistant Tel.: +86 10 5165 0798 ext. 28 Email:
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