[VT | Philadelphia | Sept. 19, 2025] In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Philadelphia Orchestra will send ten of its musicians to China from October 10 to 18, 2025, for a series of performances and residency activities in Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. This visit marks the ensemble’s first trip to Qingdao and continues its longstanding commitment to people-to-people connection through music.
The Philadelphia Orchestra holds a significant place in Sino-American cultural relations, having been the first American orchestra to perform in China in 1973 under the direction of Eugene Ormandy. Since that historic visit, the Orchestra has returned to China 13 times, most recently in 2024, building deep, impactful connections through concerts and residencies that serve as a cultural bridge for people-to-people exchange.
As part of the 2025 China Residency, the following activities are planned:
- October 10: A pop-up performance at the Tsingtao Haitian View & Art in Qingdao.
- October 11: A side-by-side concert with musicians of the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra at the Qingdao Grand Theatre, featuring a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, a work famously performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra during its inaugural visit to China in 1973.
- October 12: A pop-up performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
- October 13: A performance at the United States Embassy in Beijing.
- October 16: A chamber music session with musicians of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, for students of ShanghaiTech University.
- October 17: A side-by-side concert with musicians of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at ShanghaiTech University.
- October 18: A side-by-side concert with the Zhejiang Provincial Symphony Orchestra at the Grand Canal Theater in Hangzhou, featuring a performance of Mason Bates’s “Spring River Flowers by Moonlight,” which the Orchestra gave the world premiere of during the 2024 Tour of China. The performance is part of the Liangzhu Forum, which will also feature a special video with musicians of the Orchestra filmed at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hangzhou, during its opening ceremony.
The following musicians will participate in the residency:
- Christine Lim, violin
- Marc Rovetti, violin
- Daniel Han, violin
- MuChen Hsieh, violin
- Eliot Heaton, violin
- Marvin Moon, viola
- Che-Hung Chen, viola
- Hsiang-Hsin Ching, viola
- Priscilla Lee, cello
- Alex Veltman, cello
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2025 China Residency is made possible through the generous support of Lead Sponsor Bank of China and the Ford Foundation. The Orchestra is grateful to its tour partners—the United States Mission in China, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries—whose support and collaboration make the 2025 China Residency possible.
Additional support for this residency comes from the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, White and Williams LLP, and Ruder Finn, the official communication partner for the 2025 China Residency.
Mason Bates’s work based on the Tang poem “Spring River Flowers by Moonlight” was co-commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the China International Cultural Association, with additional support from the US-China Cultural Institute, in memory of Shirley Young.
