Debra Li

    IT’S fortunate for music fans that Shenzhen has its own symphony orchestra. Starting this spring season, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will move its home to Shenzhen Concert Hall, where there are more seats with better acoustics. Of the 1,680 seats, one-third will sell for 80 yuan (US$12) each or lower in all SSO spring season programs. The best seats will sell for just 200 yuan.

    To foster young lovers of classical music, the orchestra has also promised to give out 300 free tickets of each concert to local students. Primary and high schools or universities can call 2540-5183 to apply.

    “It’s time to give back to the local residents,” said Nie Bing, vice president of SSO. “They’ve paid a lot of taxes to help build the concert hall and help our orchestra grow. It’s time to treat them to some good music in a good environment.”

    Between this Friday and July 29, SSO will present 16 concerts in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, the bulk of which will be classical Western music. Fans will hear familiar works from Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Mahler, Saint-Saens, Bernstein, Smetana as well as works from contemporary composers such as Sylvie Bodorova and Chinese Chen Yi and Zhou Long.

    Nearly half the concerts will be conducted by SSO artistic director Christian Ehwald, and the rest will be conducted by Zhang Guoyong, artistic director of the Shanghai Opera House, senior local musician Yao Guanrong, American conductors Christopher Zimmerman and Michael Palmer and German Fred Buttkewits.

    For the first time, SSO chief violist Bai Ming will collaborate as a soloist with the orchestra. Having graduated from the University of Southern California with top honor in the performing arts, Bai was champion of an American national viola competition. Before working with SSO, he was chief violist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

    Also making their first appearances as soloists are SSO’s chief flautist Ma Yong and clarinetist Yi Cheng.

    The first Chinese flautist accepted by Julliard, Ma earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the prestigious New York City conservatory. His list of awards includes first place at the 2003 Young Artist Competition of the U.S. National Flute Association, the 2002 New York Flute Club Competition and the 2000 Young Artist Competition of the Flute Society of Washington.

    A graduate of the Hanns Eisler Music Acadamy of Berlin, Yi was chief clarinetist with the Berlin Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. The two will perform “Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra” by Jean Franaix in one of the concerts.

    Other soloists to collaborate with the orchestra include SSO chief violinist Zhang Le, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra chief violinist Kenn Wagner, Taiwan violinist Tiffany Wu, cellists Wang Jian, Niklas Schmidt and Nie Jiapeng, and pianists Peter Rosel, Stella Xu and Hao Duanduan.

1. Conductor Christian Ehwald.

2. Soloist Carolin Masur.

3. Cellist Niklas Schmidt.

4. Violinist Kenn Wagner.

5. Conductor Michael Palmer.

File photos

     Schedule for SSO spring/summer season

    (March~June)

    8 p.m., March 11

    Mahler “Symphony No. 3”

    Conductor: Christian Ehwald

    Soloist: Carolin Masur

    8 p.m., March 18

    Brahms “Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra”

    Schumann “Symphony No. 1”

    Conductor: Christian Ehwald

    Violinist: Zhang Le

    Cellist: Nie Jiapeng

    8 p.m., March 25

    Brahms “Tragische Overture”

    Saint-Saens “Cello Concerto No. 1”

    Prokofiev “Symphony No. 5”

    Conductor: Christian Ehwald

    Cellist: Niklas Schmidt

    8 p.m., April 1

    Schubert “Rosamunde Overture”

    Beethoven “Piano Concerto No. 1”

    Brahms “Symphony No. 4”

    Conductor: Christian Ehwald

    Pianist: Peter Rosel

    8 p.m., April 8

    Bernstein “Candide Overture”

    Bodorova “Violin Concerto of the Flowers”

    Saint-Saens “Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso”

    Sibelius “Symphony No. 5”

    Conductor: Christopher Zimmerman

    Violinist: Kenn Wagner

    8 p.m., April 22

    Prokofiev “Piano Concerto No. 2”

    Mahler “Symphony No. 1”

    Conductor: Michael Palmer

    Pianist: Hao Duanduan

    8 p.m., May 14

    Cellist Wang Jian’s concert

    Conductor: Zhang Guoyong

    Venue: Guangzhou Opera House

    8 p.m., June 3

    Yao Guanrong’s honorary concert

    Conductor: Yao Guanrong

    8 p.m., June 10

    Chen Yi “Rhyme of Fire” (2008)

    Chen Yi “Symphony No. 3” (2004)

    Chen Yi “Momentum” (1998)

    Zhou Long “4 Tang Dynasty Poems”

    Zhou Long “The Rhyme of Drums”

    Venue: Guangzhou Opera House

    8 p.m., June 17

    Shostakovich “Festival Overture”

    Shostakovich “Violin Concerto No. 1”

    Shostakovich “Symphony No. 6”

    Conductor: Zhang Guoyong

    Violinist: Tiffany Wu

    8 p.m., June 28

    Selected opera music concert

    Venue: Guangzhou Opera House

    If not specified, the shows will be staged at Shenzhen Concert Hall, and tickets are priced between 50 and 200 yuan. Concerts in July are not listed here due to space limit. Please follow Shenzhen Daily Leisure Highlights pages for more detail concert information.