BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Pacific Symphony of the United States will perform at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing Tuesday, the last destination of its five-city tour in China.
The tour started on May 9 with a concert at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater, followed by performances in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province, Chongqing in southwest China, and Beijing.
The orchestra will perform works by Leonard Bernstein in celebration of the centennial of his birth. It will also perform Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe Suite, No. 2," "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky; and Mozart's "Violin Concerto No.3," featuring renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman.
"The music was carefully selected," the orchestra's music director Carl St. Clair said at a pre-performance fan meeting on May 8. "I want Chinese audiences get to know us gently, and you will begin our friendship in this concert very easy."
This is the Pacific Symphony's first-ever tour to China and first international tour since the orchestra toured European capitals in 2006.
"Thousands of pounds of cargo and millions of dollars of instruments made their way across the ocean. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us," John Forsyte, president of Pacific Symphony, said at the fan meeting.
The Pacific Symphony was founded in 1978 and is currently under the baton of Carl St. Clair, who is widely recognized for his distinguished performances and commitment to new music and music education.
