The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2014 Tour of Asia, & China Residency a Resounding Success!

The Orchestra performed at the United Nations Headquarters in September, and presented China’s NCPA Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia in November

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2014 Tour of Asia & China Residency from 21^st May till 5^th June, has been widely celebrated as an outstanding success. The Philadelphia Orchestra, with Ruder Finn as a Supporting Sponsor, launched the second full year of its China Residency program as well as a concert tour with performances in China, Japan and Taiwan.  The third visit to China – a first for any American orchestra – also marked The Philadelphia Orchestra’s first international tour with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This landmark visit, 35 years after formal relations were established between the United States and China, featured musical, diplomatic, educational and community engagement events that appropriately commemorated the Orchestra’s long relationship with the Chinese people.

The eighth music director in the Orchestra’s 114-year history, Yannick led the Fabulous Philadelphians with concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Shenzhen, Macao, Tokyo, and Taipei. The Orchestra and Yannick were warmly welcomed in every city, as was demonstrated by sold-out concerts and enthusiastic audiences.

The 2014 Tour of Asia added another musical first to The Philadelphia Orchestra’s rich history. The May 25 concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre was the first-ever western musical performance to be streamed to an international audience by a Chinese company. The concert was broadcast via a newly developed digital platform, yunbomedia.com. In addition to watching the concert on laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, viewers could share up to three minutes of a selection of the concert through social media.

The Philadelphia Orchestra said: “Thanks to Ruder Finn’s valued partnership, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2014 visit featured more than 30 residency activities and nine concerts in seven cities, which together resulted in another historic cultural and people-to-people exchange between the United States and the People’s Republic of China,”.

The Philadelphia Orchestra performed at United Nations Headquarters in September

The Philadelphia Orchestra continued to break new ground as one of the United States’ foremost cultural ambassadors with a performance at the United Nations on the occasion of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly on 18^th September. At the invitation of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, served as emcee of the concert program.

The Philadelphia Orchestra presented China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia

On November 7^th, the Orchestra presented China’s NCPA Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. The NCPA Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s main strategic partner in China. NCPA orchestra made a seven-city North American tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. As Supporting Sponsor, Ruder Finn Asia was also involved in both events and driving the communications.