Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Returns to Carnegie Hall

The Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 15 at 2:00 p.m. Its all-original music draws inspiration from China's 5,000 years of civilization, with its rich array of dynasties and peoples, and breathes new life into themes and musical styles from ancient times. Classical works from the European tradition complement each concert.

Milen Nachev will conduct the performances of celebrated compositions from Shen Yun Performing Arts, Descent from Heaven - A Renewal, Kublai Khan, Tibetan Drums, and A Passage in Time, as well as Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Op. 35, 3rd Movement, Suppé's Light Cavalry Overture, and Dvorák's Slavonic Dance No. 7, Op. 72.

Shen Yun Performing Arts' original compositions are inspired by melodies of ancient China and are the works of Shen Yun's composers D.F., Jing Xian, Gao Yuan, and Junyi Tan. These compositions meld classical Chinese instruments, such as the erhu and the pipa, with the classical brass, woodwinds, and strings of the Western symphony orchestra, resulting in a vivid sound with great emotional range. Cellist Christine Walevska called the performance "out of this world! If I had to describe it, the words might be 'Divine,' 'Reborn,' and 'Hope.'" Soprano ELisa Brown called it "very joyful. It was beautiful. It was healing."

The soloists will include Concertmaster Astrid Martig and violinist Fiona Zheng. Erhu players Xiaochun Qi, Lu Sun, and Linda Wang will join the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra for the performance of original works from Shen Yun.

The concert also features solo performances of original Shen Yun compositions by tenor Tian Ge and soprano Haolan Geng. Both singers have been trained in the Bel Canto technique for singing in the upper register and are distinguished in their ability to perform Bel Canto while retaining perfect Chinese diction.

The Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2012. Its 2017 tour includes performances in 16 cities across North America and Asia in September and October.

The program is subject to change.

The origins of Chinese music

The origins of Chinese music go back to distant antiquity, at a time when elegant, virtuous music was believed to have a pure energy that harmonizes body, mind, and soul. The earliest Chinese word for medicine was derived from the word for music. Shen Yun's music bespeaks of this heritage by balancing traditional Chinese pentatonic sounds with Western orchestration, making for an experience that rejuvenates mind and body.

Capturing the essence of Chinese and Western music

In the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra, the Western orchestra serves as a foundation, accentuating the distinct sound of Chinese instruments, such as the erhu and the pipa, and the Western symphony fully brings to life the bedrock of soul-stirring melodies from ancient China. This is what makes Shen Yun's music unique and is a new frontier in classical music. Traditional Chinese music emphasizes the expression of inner feelings-the ancients always used musical instruments to relate their states of mind. Western music, meanwhile, focuses on the overall effect of the musical ensemble-and to achieve that, arrangement and harmony are of utmost importance. Shen Yun's music combines these approaches to capture the essence of both East and West.

Tickets

Tickets start at $38 and are available for purchase online at shenyunsymphony.org (presenter) or carnegiehall.org (venue), by phone at (888) 907-4697 (presenter) or (212) 247-7800 (Carnegie Box office), and in person at Carnegie Hall.