Gary Ginstling, president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in New York, the United States, Jan. 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Rui)
by Xinhua writers Liu Yanan, Yang Shilong
NEW YORK, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The New York Philharmonic is committed to cultural ambassadorship linking the United States and China through music, the head of the New York Philharmonic has said.
Presenting performances and building cooperation with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the orchestra's relationship with China goes back decades ago, said Gary Ginstling, president and CEO of the philharmonic, in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.
"We are sort of connecting the United States and China through our music. Regardless of what's happening in the world, around us, or the challenges between our countries, this connection between music is so important to us and will remain so," said the chief of the New York Philharmonic, one of the leading American orchestras and one of the oldest musical institutions in the United States.
Encouragingly, the New York Philharmonic resumed in-person exchanges with its Chinese partners and audiences in 2023 following a years-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Last summer, we were very fortunate to be able to send a group of about nine or ten musicians (to China). I was able to accompany them to Shanghai to begin reawakening our relationship" with such musical institutions as the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Orchestra Academy, said Ginstling.
"It was so exciting for me to see for the first time in person the young musicians being trained by our musicians, and the sort of the coming together of cultures to learn, to make music together. So it's very special for me," he told Xinhua.
During their stay in Shanghai, musicians from the New York Philharmonic performed at the Summer Air Festival, sharing their expertise through teaching and side-by-side performance. They also attended the commencement ceremonies for instrumentalists receiving advanced degrees.
Voicing hope for more visits to China with the whole orchestra, Ginstling said, "It's really important to us. And we're hoping to work out all the details to make that happen as soon as possible."
"It's so exciting to see how classical music continues to grow in China, and so the importance of training the next generation of young musicians is something that's very important to us at the New York Philharmonic," he said.
Committed to the partnership, they will continue to grow it and train the next generation, said Ginstling, adding that despite online exchanges with Chinese musicians during the hiatus, they had been all looking forward to being back in person.
The New York Philharmonic has been celebrating the Lunar New Year since 2012, a Year of the Dragon, and is scheduled to do so with a concert on Feb. 20, 2024, another Year of the Dragon.
The celebration of the Lunar New Year every year is important for the orchestra and one of the high points on its schedule every year as it welcomes people from all over the world, said Ginstling, adding that a dozen years of Lunar New Year celebration, no doubts, signify to the community in New York that it is an important part of the tradition.
Yu Long, a Chinese conductor who launched the Lunar New Year concert with the New York Philharmonic back in 2012, will again conduct the orchestra in the upcoming performance, according to Ginstling.
He added that Yu has put together a wonderful program that will include new music, commissions, as well as great Western classical music.
The New York Philharmonic has many Chinese musicians, Chinese Americans and musicians from European countries, making it a global orchestra, noted Ginstling.
"The New York Philharmonic has always been a melting pot of musicians coming from around the world, not just America ... Being able to include Chinese musicians in our orchestra is a very important part of who we are and our DNA," Ginstling added. ■
Gary Ginstling, president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in New York, the United States, Jan. 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Rui)