Tour Dates: 27 January - 2 February, 2012

The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is founded on May 25th, 2000 in Beijing, China, based on the previous "China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra".

The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is founded on May 25th, 2000 in Beijing, China, based on the previous "China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra". The orchestra is chaired by HU En. Long Yu is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor.

On December 16th 2000, Long Yu conducted CPO in the inaugural concert at Poly Theatre in Beijing to huge acclaim. In the past nine subscription seasons since September 2001, musicians and orchestra managers attained unprecedented artistic standards with endeavour and wisdom under the leadership of Long Yu and successive chairs.

Highlights of the inaugural season from September 2001 to July 2002 include the world premiere of Philip Glass' Cello Concerto, Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust and Women General of Yang Family, a symphony poem in Peking opera style commissioned by CPO. In the following season Long Yu conducted the China premiere of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) with nearly a thousand domestic and visiting artists on the stage. It is a milestone in the music history in China. That season also offered complete Beethoven symphony cycle, concertos and most of his overtures as part of the Immortal Beethoven concert series, highlighted by the closing concert of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 conducted by Long Yu in a most convincing approach. For the first two ambitious seasons CPO qualifies itself as one of the leading orchestras in Asia. CPO also presented the complete symphony cycle of Mahler in the first three seasons. Forthcoming seasons boast of centennial concerts devoted to Dvoá k, Mozart, Shostakovich, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Karajan.

CPO is the active and frequent advocate of Chinese music in the global sphere. With Long YU and his fellow conductors SHI Shucheng, YANG Yang and XIA Xiaotang, the orchestra is involved in a wide range of tours ever since. February to April 2005 came the historic moment of CPO when the orchestra launched an unprecedented world tour under the baton of Long Yu covering 22 cities in US, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, UK, highlighted by concerts in Lincoln Centre, Barbican Centre and Berliner Philharmonie with positive reviews from New York Times, Times and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Mozart, CPO as the only Asian orchestra joined the live transmitted concert rally on January 27th 2006 with Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.In May 2008, CPO was invited to play at the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican to over 8,000 audience including his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI with a programme of Mozart Requiem and Chinese folk tune Jasmine Flower. International and domestic press hailed the concert as an ice breaking music venture.

Artistic Director/ Chief Conductor: Long YU

As one of the most distinguished Chinese conductors with an established international reputation, Maestro Long Yu is currently Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival.

As the first Chinese conductor to be invited to conduct one of the "Big Five" orchestras of the America, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and as one who conducts the world top-class orchestras most frequently among Chinese conductors, Maestro Long Yu has appeared with a prestigious list of leading orchestras and opera companies around the world, including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Washington National Symphony, the Orchestre de Paris, the Bamberg Symphony, the Hamburg State Opera, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Sydney Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony.

Long Yu was born in 1964 into a family of musicians in Shanghai. Musical education in his early childhood came from his grandfather Ding Shande, a composer of great renown, and he later studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin.

Long Yu's career has included both artistic and administrative appointments. In 1992, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Central Opera Theatre in Beijing, and in the same year, he was involved in the planning of the first Beijing New Year's Concert and served as its conductor for three consecutive years. He also produced operas for The Urban Council of Hong Kong for five successive years. In 1998, he led the creation of the Beijing Music Festival and was its Founding Artistic Director. Under his leadership the Beijing Music Festival is regarded as the largest classical music festival in the eastern hemisphere and one of the world's most important music festivals. During the past 11years at this annual autumn festival there have been many splendid concerts given by leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, as well as outstanding productions of the Ring, Der Rosenkavalier, Tannhäuser, La Traviata, Nabucco, Lulu and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by visiting opera companies including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Teatro la Fenice and the Mariinsky Theatre.

In 2000, Long Yu co-founded the China Philharmonic Orchestra and was appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. Now entering his 9th season with the China Philharmonic, he has maintained the high standard of orchestral performance and artistic administration and built the ensemble's reputation as not only a leading Chinese orchestra but also a world-famous one. In 2003, Long Yu was appointed the Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and he has been raising the level and fame of the orchestra rapidly. He toured extensively with both the China Philharmonic and the Guangzhou Symphony. In September 2003, under his leadership, the China Philharmonic Orchestra toured Europe, with memorable concerts at the Palais Garnier, Paris, the Teatr Wielki - National Opera Warsaw and the Grosser Saal of the Musikverein, Vienna. In December of the same year he undertook a major European and Egyptian tour with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Mischa Maisky, giving concerts at Theatre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Luxemburg, Cairo Opera House and Alexander Opera House. From February to April 2005, he led the China Philharmonic Orchestra on an international tour. Within 40 days they appeared in 22 cities throughout North America and Europe. In 2008, for the first time in history, the China Philharmonic Orchestra performed under the baton of maestro Long Yu at the Vatican in the Paul VI Auditorium. The concert was attended by The Holy Father Pope Benedict XIV and marked a giant step in bringing eastern and western cultures closer together. In April 2009 the China Philharmonic Orchestra was selected by the Gramophone, which is widely regarded as the best classical music magazine in the world, as one of "the world's 10 most inspiring orchestras".

Maestro Long Yu's reputation has been enhanced by his activities as a widely admired and respected figure in administration of orchestras and festival as well as in international exchanging of musical culture. As a champion of contemporary music Long Yu has been commissioning a number of works from today's prominent composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, Guo Wenjing, Tan Dun, Ye Xiaogang and Unsuk Chin.

Mr. Long Yu's recordings include, on Deutsche Grammophon with the China Philharmonic, Brahms's Piano Quartet in G Minor (orch. Arnold Schoenberg) and Wagner's Tannhäuser Overture, highlights of Chinese symphonic music and Yellow River Concerto with Lang Lang as featured soloist. Recordings on Naxos include Korngold's Violin Concerto and Ding Shande's Long March Symphony.

Long Yu received the 2002 Montblanc Arts Patronage Award from the Montblanc Cultural Foundation, and in 2003 came Le grade de chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Honor of Chevalier of French Art and Culture) from the Government of France. In 2005, Italian President honored Maestro Long Yu L'onorificenza di commendatore.