Finnish cello virtuoso Arto Noras and young Chinese cellists Nie Jiapeng and Qin Liwei will collaborate with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra for a concert April 22. Shanghai conductor Zhang Guoyong will wield the baton.

    The program will be Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise,” “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” Saint-Saens’ “Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33,” Dvorak’s “Silent Woods, Op. 68” and Penderecki’s “Concerto Grosso No. 1 for Three Cellos and Orchestra.”

    Noras is one of Finland’s most celebrated instrumentalists and among the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation. In 1966, he was awarded second prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which immediately opened his way to the most important concert halls in Europe and America where he has performed regularly ever since. Noras also won the Danish Sonning Prize in 1967 and Finnish State music prize in 1972. In 1970, Noras was appointed a professor of cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Noras has served as a jurist for some of the most important music competitions in the world, including the Tchaikovsky, Casals and Cassado competitions.

    In 1980, Noras founded the Naantali Music Festival in Naantali, Finland. He also founded the V Paulo International Cello Competition, whose former winners include internationally renowned French concert cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and Perttu Kivilaakso, member of the popular cello rock band Apocalyptica.

    Nie studied cello at Shenzhen Arts School and the National University of Singapore. He obtained his master’s degree at the Conservatory of Music in Hamburg.

    Qin has appeared all over the world as a soloist and as a chamber musician. After achieving great success at the 11th Tchaikovsky International Competition where he was awarded the Silver Medal, Qin has since won the first prize in the prestigious 2001 Naumburg Competition in New York.

    Prior to teaching at the YST Conservatory, Qin was a professor of cello at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. Wei plays a 1780 Joseph Guadagnini cello.

    Time: 8 p.m., April 22

    Tickets: 50-280 yuan

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News)