NY Philharmonic's 5th Annual Chinese New Year Concert and Gala to be Held 2/9

The New York Philharmonic, in collaboration with CAMI Music, will celebrate the Chinese New Year for the fifth consecutive year, this time welcoming the Year of the Monkey with a program of music by Chinese composers and a work inspired by China, celebrating the cultural heritage of China and honoring the Chinese-American community, on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. Long Yu - music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, artistic director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and founding artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival - will return to the Philharmonic to conduct the Chinese New Year Concert for the fifth consecutive season.

This year's program will feature Maxim Vengerov performing Chen Gang and He Zhanhao's The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Kreisler's Tambourin chinois, and Principal Harp Nancy Allen performing the New York Premiere of Tan Dun's Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, symphony for 13 micro films, harp, and orchestra. The Spring Festival Overture, Li Huanzhi's traditional work celebrating the Chinese New Year, will once again open the concert.

The Philharmonic's salute to the Year of the Monkey will also include a free outdoor event the afternoon of the concert at 4:30 p.m. on Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza featuring the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performing the traditional Dragon Dance, as well as public school students from the National Dance Institute performing folk-inspired dances.

Gala events will include a pre-concert champagne reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., which will include a traditional Dragon Dance by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company; the concert; and a seated dinner immediately following the performance. Gala dress will be traditional Chinese attire or black-tie. The Honorary Gala Chairmen are Mr. and Mrs. Maurice R. Greenberg, H.E. Ambassador Liu Jieyi, and H.E. Consul-General Zhang Qiyue. The Gala Co-Chairmen are Angela Chen, Guoqing Chen and Ming Liu, Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar L. Tang, and Shirley Young. The Starr International Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the Chinese New Year Gala.

A portion of the Gala's proceeds will help fund the acclaimed Philharmonic Schools activities at P.S. 120 in Flushing, Queens, an elementary school that is attended by a large population of Chinese-Americans and recent immigrants from China.

The New York Philharmonic is partnering with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts for 2016 Happy Chinese New Year Fantastic Art China, a series of U.S.-China artistic Chinese New Year celebrations throughout New York City including fireworks over the Hudson River and a festive lighting of the Empire State Building.

As music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Long Yu played a central role in the establishment of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership, a joint endeavor of the New York Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, a cornerstone and founding component of the New York Philharmonic Global Academy.