The poster of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra 2024-25 Concert Season. [Photo/WeChat account: jingdian947]

The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will kick off its 2024-25 concert season with a grand opening concert on Sept 5 at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center Concert Hall, marking the start of a new round of "musical rendezvous" between the SPO, international artists, and music lovers.

The opening concert of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra 2024-25 Concert Season takes stage of Shanghai Oriental Art Center Concert Hall on Sept 5. [Photo/WeChat account: jingdian947]

The opening concert will feature violinist Stella Chen, winner of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition, performing Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto with the SPO's young musicians. The performance will be conducted by Artistic Director Zhang Yi. Additionally, Barber's Souvenir Ballet Suite will have its domestic premiere performance.

The 2024-25 season will include 22 concerts, spanning from the opening concert on Sept 5 to the 2025 New Year's concert on Dec 21, culminating in the closing concert on July 18, 2025.

Highlights include:

• Themed concerts celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations and the 75th anniversary of Sino-Romanian diplomatic relations.

• A focus on composers and their representative works, including The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, Aram Ilyich Khachaturian, Anna Karenina by Rodion Shchedrin, Life-saving Doctors by Yu Jingjun, Exploring Russia by Sergei Prokofiev/Dmitri Shostakovich, and Roman Festivals by Ottorino Respighi.

• Renowned guest artists such as Gerard Schwarz, Kong Xiangdong, Hubert Soudant, and Akiko Suwanai.

• Fusion of Chinese and Western classics, including The Best of Chinese and Western Music and Sino-Western Music Dialogue.

• SPO chamber music series featuring Mozart, brass ensembles, string quartets, and Chinese-Western collaborations.

Source: "jingdian947" WeChat account