American "Christian Science Monitor" article on January 24, original title: How the Philadelphia Orchestra became a precious link connecting the United States and China. A big drum thumped, and then a jinghu made a rhythmic sound. More than 2,000 spectators Immerse yourself in the traditional Peking Opera tune "Dark Night" conducted by China Philharmonic Orchestra Director Yu Long. The recent concert to welcome the Lunar New Year was not held in Beijing, but in the "City of Brotherly Love" (a nickname for Philadelphia - Editor's Note), and was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and guest soloists (pictured). The orchestra plays a unique role in bringing together American and Chinese musicians that goes far beyond celebrating the upcoming Lunar Year of the Dragon. Ma Siyi, the orchestra's president and CEO, said this is a powerful form of diplomacy, especially when tensions between the United States and China are high.
Recalling a meeting with a senior Chinese diplomat, Ma Siyi said that U.S.-China relations had fallen into a deep freeze during the epidemic, and the orchestra was one of the few "warm points of contact" between the two countries. "(The diplomat) said to me, 'Please keep doing what you're doing...'" He called the group's work in China "a multi-generational project."
In fact, the orchestra's long-standing ties to China play an outsized role in the broader push by the United States and China to stabilize bilateral relations by strengthening people-to-people ties. Now, the United States and China are also working to increase direct flights between the two sides and promote cultural, sports and student exchanges.
Lin Chen is the director of the documentary "Beethoven in Beijing" that reflects the orchestra's impact on China. She compared this phenomenon to the famous exchanges between Chinese and American table tennis players in the early 1970s, "Everyone knows about ping pong diplomacy. And musical diplomacy has the same impact on U.S.-China relations." The orchestra has earned a unique reputation in China—not just for exposing people to music from the outside world, but also for being a symbol of American goodwill.
At the concert held with the China Symphony Orchestra in Beijing last November to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to China, Sherman, the assistant conductor of the orchestra, experienced conducting Chinese music for the first time. He said that leading the musicians to play the soft tones of "Er Fountain Reflects the Moon" was "one of the most challenging things in the program." "All the small notes in this piece that need to be played accurately are like little Gems." During his first trip to China, he also discovered the similarities between Chinese and American musicians, "which is gratifying to a certain extent."
Ma Siyi said that the in-depth cooperation between musicians and the audience's enthusiasm Shared experiences are how music brings people together, and music helps people in both countries empathize. “Despite the ups and downs of U.S.-China relations, the Philadelphia Orchestra continues to come to China... When things get tense This is even more important when the time comes." (Author Ann Scott Tyson, translated by Ding Ding) ▲
