A friendship built through music and travel between China and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Music and travel have brought people together and strengthened connections across cultures and through friendship for more than five decades.

As the Year of the Horse approaches, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the China National Tourist Office in New York co-hosted a special concert alongside a Ni Hao! China tourism promotion, bringing a vibrant Chinese New Year festive atmosphere to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

"I showed up in a little bit of red myself. It's always wonderful to see the hall decorated, and I feel like it adds to the festive kind of nature of the concert," 27-year-old audience member Eddie McKeown, a regular orchestra attendee, told China Daily.

Outside the hall, audiences also viewed the photo exhibition On the Road in China — China and the Philadelphia Orchestra, which showcases archival images from the orchestra's historic tours to China, capturing memorable performances alongside vivid scenes of Chinese cities, cultural landscapes and everyday life. The orchestra was the first American ensemble to perform in China in 1973 and has returned many times, both as a full orchestra and through smaller ensemble exchanges.

"It's brilliant to build relationships between musicians around the world," McKeown said.

Davyd Booth, a veteran violinist who has traveled to China around 15 times, was part of the first trip and the most recent trip, and is now planning for the upcoming trip in November.

"Anytime to celebrate a festive holiday is great, and no better way to do it than with beautiful music," he told China Daily.

"That is very important for us to be able to share and go to another country, for people from that country to come to us," Booth told China Daily. "The world has gotten smaller and closer, and yet the tangibles of music and making sound have gotten even larger because of being able to share so much and being influenced in our hearing new sounds from China, and China hearing new sounds from us."

Booth added that, as a musician who has traveled regularly to China, he feels "fortunate" to have witnessed the country's development and changes, observed the differences brought by China's modernization, and performed in many cities across the country. With the enduring friendship between China and the orchestra, more music exchanges have been built.

The special new year performance also featured soloists from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, including Yu Hongmei, president of the conservatory and an erhuvirtuoso, and pipa virtuoso Zhang Hongyan.

"The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long and special relationship with China. Over the years, the orchestra has visited many different cities, worked closely with Chinese musicians and performed for audiences across the country," said Ma Yunfei, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York and co-host of the concert. "These exchanges have always been about more than music. They are about openness and learning from one another."

Ma said he hopes audiences can get a glimpse of Chinese music and, in the near future, travel to China to experience the country through music.

Ryan Fleur, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, also recalled the orchestra's tours to China and the decades-long friendship between the orchestra and the country.

"More than five decades later, that historic moment continues to inspire a deep and enduring commitment to cultural exchange and artistic collaboration," Fleur said.

Fleur said he has personally traveled to China nearly 20 times over the years to help build connections. The orchestra has visited many cities across China and has also brought Chinese orchestras to the US. He added that the Lunar New Year concert has been a tradition since 2019.

As part of the two-day celebration, the Central Conservatory of Music Chinese Orchestra will also present a special Chinese New Year concert at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater.

The performance brought together Eastern and Western musical traditions, featuring the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments.

"It's always wonderful to see a unique instrument. The performers are mesmerizing. It's such a dedication and such endurance that they have to it," audience member Carol Beringer told China Daily.

Beringer said she wishes to travel to China soon. "I wish I had gone, and I will go."