Blog

6/1/13, Shanghai: The day begins with travel as Orchestra members return to Shanghai. John Koen, acting assistant principal cello, encounters a local musician in the Shanghai train station and poses for a photo opp. Photo by Glenn Fischbach.

6/1/13, Shanghai: The rave reviews are pouring in! Metropolitan Express newspaper dubs last night’s Philadelphia Orchestra performance at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre an “Earth-Shattering Performance" while the Youth Times proclaims that [The Philadelphia Orchestra performance],“…was worth waiting forty years for.”

6/1/13, Shanghai: Philadelphia Orchestra members perform for and engage with autistic children during an “Embrace the World” in-school program at the Huangpu District Youth Science and Technology Center in Shanghai. Here, Principal Percussion Christopher Deviney (front) and Associate Principal Timpani Angela Zator Nelson work with one student as he tries his hand at playing the drums. This visit was made possible through a partnership with the Shanghai Charity Foundation. Photo by Jan Regan.

6/1/13, Shanghai: During this same program, the children have a chance to return the favor--showcasing their musical talents for Philadelphia Orchestra musicians. Photo by Jan Regan.

6/1/13, Shanghai: The fun continues as Deviney and Zator Nelson have students answer their rhythms as a group in a “call-and-response” session. Photo by Jan Regan.

6/1/13, Shanghai: The day culminates with a Rhythm of Love concert at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. In honor of National Children’s Day, one of the most important and celebratory days of the year in China, the Orchestra performs this Children’s Day Benefit Concert for the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation-Pearl S. Buck Charitable Fund, which focuses on protecting and nurturing children around the world with special attention paid to issues of equality, health and wellness, and education. The performance included Strauss’s Don Juan, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio italien, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 2. Here, Assistant Principal Bass Joseph Conyers plays side by side with musicians from the Soon Ching Ling Foundation Orchestra. Photo by Jan Regan.

6/1/13, Shanghai: Conductor Donald Runnicles thanks Concertmaster David Kim at the close of another rousing performance. Photo by Jan Regan.

6/1/13, Shanghai: Conductor Donald Runnicles takes time out to pose with several children in their concert best before the benefit concert begins. Photo Jan Regan.