The ASO is touring China and South Korea October 2019

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will fly 66 musicians, led by artist in association Pinchas Zukerman, to play in China and South Korea this October.

Words: Johnny von Einem Picture: Claudio Raschella

Twenty-three years after its last tour through Asia, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will visit China and South Korea this October.

The tour, which has received support from state and the federal governments via the Australia-Korea Foundation, and BHP, will see 66 ASO musicians and the ASO’s artist in association, Pinchas Zukerman, play the Beijing Music Festival, Shanghai International Arts Festival, as well as in the Tongyeong Concert Hall in South Korea and the recently opened Zhuhai Opera House in China’s Pearl River Delta.

Watch the ASO’s tour of China and South Korea unfold via its social media pages, on Facebook and Instagram.

“We’re delighted to be flying the flag for SA arts and culture on the world stage by taking 66 musicians and our Artist in Association to China and South Korea,” the ASO’s managing director, Vincent Ciccarello says.

“The tour will strengthen the ASO’s profile by showcasing our talented musicians internationally, thereby building bridges, making connections and drawing together a diversity of people through music.

“We will strengthen the people-to-people relationships that we’ve been cultivating for several years in the region. We are also looking forward to performing in a range of stunning concert halls.”

This is the latest in a series of moves the ASO has made to strengthen artistic ties with China, starting with ASO Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto and Principal French Horn Adrian Uren’s week-long stay with the Shandong Symphony Orchestra in 2016; the ASO’s opening performance at the Port Adelaide and Gold Coast Suns match at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, which also featured drummers from the Shanghai Empireast Culture Group, in 2017; and a school tour in Harbin in 2018, during which eight players performed the ASO’s adaptation of Australian children’s picture book The Bush Concert, translated into Mandarin.

The ASO has also, for the last two years, performed a Chinese New Year Concert in Adelaide, at the Adelaide Festival Centre, and will do so again in February 2020, during which it will play The Bush Concert in Mandarin.

By and large, the orchestra only ever gets to present a concert program twice; to be able to present a program eight times is an all-too-rare opportunity to constantly develop and refine an interpretation of the repertoire. In doing so, the musicians are highly attuned to, among other things, many nuances of dynamics, timbre, colour and phrasing; all the while, working on ensemble and cementing their commitment to a unified artistic goal.

As important, however, is the bonding and camaraderie that develop between the players, the conductor and the wider ASO team in the high-pressure environment of touring. That is something that can’t easily be replicated at home.

But against the backdrop of an ever-dynamic geopolitical, trade and business environment, the greatest value of the ASO tour is in the form of cultural diplomacy.

Classical and orchestral music have undergone remarkable growth, especially in China, over the past two decades, with an extraordinary investment in cultural infrastructure and music education. Literally tens of millions of young Chinese are engaged in the study of a classical musical instrument.

It may be a cliché, but music truly is a universal language, as the Asian experience proves.

The great interest in classical orchestral music in the region provides a unique setting for developing relationships that are focused on common interests and values.

Our visit offers a platform to cultivate mutual respect, cultural awareness and people-to-people connections with two near-neighbours who are important to our state. It will also open the door to exploring avenues for further collaboration and cooperation.

While China is our State’s biggest two-way trading partner, South Australia has long enjoyed a special relationship with both China and South Korea which extends well beyond business, tourism and education. This tour advances the state’s mission to promote our place in the region as an open, outward looking economy.

We’re extremely grateful for the support of the Government of South Australia, a host of private donors and to our major tour partner, BHP.

The ASO will be flying the flag for South Australia – and I know we will do all of you proud.

CHINA/ SOUTH KOREA TOUR

FRI 18 OCTOBER

ZHUHAI, CHINA