[VT – Philadelphia, PA January 6, 2026 ] The Philadelphia Orchestra will mark the arrival of the Lunar New Year and celebrate the Year of the Horse with two days of musical and cultural exchange in collaboration with China’s Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). The celebration includes a grand Lunar New Year concert on January 28 and a free Spring Festival concert on January 29, bringing together leading musicians from both countries for performances that honor tradition while fostering cultural understanding.
January 28 – Lunar New Year Concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra
On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 7:30 PM, Assistant Conductor Naomi Woo will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The concert will feature two distinguished soloists from the Central Conservatory of Music:
- Yu Hongmei, erhu virtuoso and President of CCOM, making her Philadelphia Orchestra debut
- Zhang Hongyan, internationally renowned pipa soloist, returning to Marian Anderson Hall for her second consecutive Lunar New Year performance
Curated to reflect the spirited and resilient character of the Horse in Chinese astrology, the program blends iconic Chinese works with Western orchestral masterpieces.
Program Highlights Include:
- Li Huanzhi – Spring Festival Overture
- Chan Ka Nin – Welcoming Spring (Philadelphia Orchestra premiere)
- Tan Dun – Selections from Crouching Tiger Concerto, for erhu and chamber orchestra
Soloist: Yu Hongmei (Philadelphia Orchestra premiere) - Lili Boulanger – Of a Spring Morning
- Zhou Long – King Chu Doffs His Armor, for pipa and orchestra
Soloist: Zhang Hongyan (Philadelphia Orchestra premiere) - Aaron Copland – “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
- Gustav Holst – “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolity,” from The Planets
- Gioachino Rossini – Finale from the Overture to William Tell
January 29 – Free Spring Festival Concert by the CCOM Chinese Orchestra
The celebration continues on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, where the Central Conservatory of Music Chinese Orchestra will perform a free one-night-only Spring Festival concert under the baton of conductor Liu Sha.
The program will showcase an extraordinary range of traditional Chinese instruments—including bamboo flutes, sheng, yangqin, guzheng, banhu, pipa, erhu, and percussion—featuring leading soloists from CCOM’s distinguished faculty and young artist community.
Program Includes:
- Li Bochan – Celebrating Overture
- Traditional / arr. Li Shangqian – A Moonlit Night on the Spring River
- Feng Zicun – Joyful Encounter, for bamboo flutes and shengs
- Bamboo flutes: Fan Linfeng, Feng Tianshi
- Sheng: Wang Yi, Liu Yihao
- Yan Shaoyi / arr. Li Heng – Huabangzi, for banhu
- Banhu: Hu Yu
- Sun Jing – Love Song from the Horizon, for plucked instruments ensemble
- Li Bochan – The Ancient Tea-Horse Road
- Peng Xiuwen & Cai Huiquan – Harvest Gongs and Drums
- Leading percussion: Wei Ran, Yin Fei
- Li Yuejin – Sheng—Lin Qi Jing (Sheng—Into a Wonderland)
- World premiere orchestration
- Sheng soloist: Wang Lei
- Zhang Zheng – Feng·Ya·Song (Ballad, Court Hymn, Eulogy) — World Premiere
- Wang Danhong – Eternal Red Lilies
A Longstanding Cultural Bridge
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Lunar New Year celebration honors the city’s vibrant Asian American and Chinese communities and reinforces the Orchestra’s longstanding relationship with China. In 1973, under Eugene Ormandy, The Philadelphia Orchestra became the first American orchestra to perform in China. Since then, the Orchestra has returned to China 13 times, most recently in 2024, with smaller ensembles participating in ongoing residency and educational initiatives, including most recently in October 2025.
About the Central Conservatory of Music Chinese Orchestra
With a history of more than 60 years, the CCOM Chinese Orchestra stands among the most influential traditional orchestras in contemporary China. Comprised of esteemed faculty members and award-winning graduate and doctoral musicians, the ensemble is recognized for its artistic excellence, academic rigor, and dedication to both preservation and innovation. The orchestra has toured extensively across Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Oceania, premiering significant new works and representing Chinese musical culture on the global stage.
Support
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Lunar New Year Concert and the free Spring Festival Concert are sponsored by the China National Tourist Office New York.
