New York Philharmonic Returns for Second Annual Shanghai Residency July 2-8, 2016

SHANGHAI, July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Philharmonic and Music Director Alan Gilbert gave several concerts as part of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's Music in the Summer Air festival (MISA) from July 2-8, 2016, the continuation of an ongoing partnership between the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, launched in 2014.

The Philharmonic's second annual summer residency in Shanghai covers a range of activities, including the opening concert of the MISA festival featuring pianist Daniil Trifonov in Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto conducted by Alan Gilbert on July 2, a Young People's Concert featuring two world premieres conducted by Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Joshua Gerson on July 3, Gil Shaham performing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor conducted by Alan Gilbert on July 8, and a screening of Charlie Chaplin's City Lights with live score, conducted by Timothy Brock on July 7.

One particular highlight of the Philharmonic's residency in Shanghai is the Young People's Concert. Apart from family-friendly works such as Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, the concert featured two world premieres by participants in the Philharmonic's Very Young Composers program: Circle of Time by 11-year-old New York-based Lucas Alexander, and 16-year-old Shanghai high school student Qian Yibing's String -- Strike, which explores the juxtaposition and mixture of the sound of strings and percussion in a long dynamic upsurge. Narrating the July 3 concert was Mark Rowswell, whose Chinese name "Dashan" is known to millions in China. A former Canadian diplomat, Rowswell studied Chinese at Peking University in the 1980s. He became a household name in China by pairing with a top comedian on a popular televised talk show shown on Chinese New Year. Previously, he has hosted concerts by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and China Philharmonic Orchestra. This performance marked his debut with the New York Philharmonic.

This year's residency also features a Very Young Composers workshop. Curated and led by its founder and chief architect Jon Deak, former bassist with the Philharmonic, six finalists selected among dozens of Shanghai youngsters under the age of 18 will participate in the program starting on July 2. After a week-long intensive study, each young composer will submit a musical composition on July 8. These works will be performed by the musicians of both the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic in a chamber music concert that evening in the Shanghai Symphony Hall chamber hall.

Additionally, the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet performed a free concert on July 5 on the Shanghai Urban Music Lawn at People's Square.

Another component of the ongoing partnership between the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony is the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (founded by the two orchestras in collaboration with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music), a full-time educational institution devoted to the advanced training of orchestral musicians, for which several musicians of the New York Philharmonic travel to Shanghai to teach throughout the year. The inaugural class of SOA students graduated on July 5.

While in residency in Shanghai, New York Philharmonic leaders President Matthew VanBesien and Vice President of Artistic Planning Edward Yim, as well as Principal Librarian Lawrence Tarlow, will take part in a seminar on orchestra administration co-hosted by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Orchestra Academy and YL CONSULTING Co., Ltd.

Music in the Summer Air is the summer music festival founded by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Originally conceived as an outdoor event, most of MISA's concerts have since moved into the Shanghai Symphony Hall, which opened in September 2014.

SOURCE Shanghai Symphony Hall Management Co. Ltd.