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Friday, August 31, 2018, 18:15
Orchestral maneuvers
By Chen Nan
Friday, August 31, 2018, 18:15 By Chen Nan

The Tianjin Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of conductor Tang Muhai during a tour launched by the Silk Road International League of Theaters. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

The symphony orchestra of the Silk Road International League of Theaters will launch a 10-city tour in China and will make its international debut with a tour of several European countries, including Hungary, Bulgaria and Latvia in April and May, according to the China Performing Arts Agency Theaters, China's national performing arts theater chain. Tianjin Symphony Orchestra will perform during the tour under the baton of conductor Tang Muhai.

The newly-formed ensemble is set to hold concerts during the upcoming 2018 China International Performing Arts Fair and Silk Road International League of Theaters Annual Conference

According to Zhang Li, the general director of CPAA Theaters, the symphony orchestra of the Silk Road International League of Theaters-which was launched in Beijing in July-aims to team up symphony orchestras and musicians from China and abroad to tour worldwide.

Conductor Tang, 69, who has worked with renowned symphony orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Finnish National Opera, was invited to be the artistic director of the symphony orchestra.

The newly-formed ensemble is set to hold concerts during the upcoming 2018 China International Performing Arts Fair and Silk Road International League of Theaters Annual Conference, which will be held in Guangzhou from Nov 29 to Dec 2.
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"The move will help the league strengthen its role in promoting cultural cooperation with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative while showcasing its musical performances in China and beyond," Zhang says.

Zhang adds that the first stop of the upcoming international tour will be Budapest, Hungary, since Mupa Budapest-formally known as the Palace of Art-is one of the earliest members of the league.

When the orchestra was launched in July, a strategic cooperation of the Silk Road International League of Theaters was signed in Beijing by guests-including Peter Hoppal, State Secretary for Culture at the Ministry of Human Resources of Hungary, Tamas Lakner, dean of music and visual arts at the University of Pecs and conductor Tang-and the first tour date and location was decided.

Conductor Tang Muhai (second from left) is commissioned as the artistic director of the symphony orchestra of the Silk Road International League of Theaters. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

"As next year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary, we will present the concert as a gift to the friendship between the two countries," Zhang notes.

Initiated by the China Arts and Entertainment Group, a State-owned company which was founded in 2004, the Silk Road International League of Theaters serves as a large platform for performing arts to promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

Since it was launched at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in Beijing in October 2016, the Silk Road International League of Theaters was officially inaugurated in Beijing in March and has grown into an alliance of 88 members from 33 countries and regions.

"The Silk Road International League of Theaters offers an avenue for our members from all over the world to communicate," says Li Jinsheng, president of China Arts and Entertainment Group.

"Since the birth of the league, we have introduced many performances by foreign troupes and helped Chinese artists perform in theaters abroad," he adds, giving examples such as the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre's Chinese tour of Romeo and Juliet, and the Chinese performances of Anton Chekhov's play, The Seagull, by the Belarus Janka Kupała Theater.

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The first joint production under the Silk Road International League of Theaters was Marco Polo, an original Chinese opera produced by Guangzhou Opera House and based on the story of the Venetian explorer who traveled along the ancient Silk Road in the 13th century. It was staged in Beijing in May, and featured a star-studded lineup of producers and singers from countries including China, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

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