China, U.S. young musicians jointly present concert in New York

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Scores of young musicians from the Beijing Youth Orchestra of China and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America jointly staged a concert here on Tuesday.

Young American musicians started the concert with A Western Fanfare by Eric Ewazen, followed by their Chinese counterparts' performance of the ancient Chinese tune A Moonlit Night on the Spring River.

Then, young musicians jointly presented Goin' Home, based on Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 and Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 IV. Presto by Felix Mendelssohn.

The concert concluded with You and Me, the official theme song of the 2008 Beijing Olympics composed by Chen Qigang, to pay tribute to the Olympic spirit, the shared emotion of human beings and the power of unity.

The joint performance under the auspices of the Chinese Consulate General in New York marked an in-depth exchange between young Chinese and U.S. musicians, who joined others in World Orchestra Week (WOW!) organized by Carnegie Hall.

As many as 700 young musicians from five continents presented their respective performances at Carnegie Hall, had a massive "play-in" at the Javits Convention Center and participated in peer exchange workshops at New York University.

The young musicians would remain connected and friends for life thanks to their experience at World Orchestra Week, said Sir Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, before the start of the concert.

"We cherish the friendship with U.S. counterparts in the field of culture and arts ... I'd like to work with Sir Clive Gillinson in the future to turn more beautiful ideas into reality, enhance Sino-U.S. cultural exchanges and better connect peoples of the two countries," said Wang Ning, president of China's National Center for the Performing Arts in a video message.

Beijing Youth Orchestra is a new ensemble jointly curated in June by China's National Center for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.