The New York Philharmonic has several events planned to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year. On February 20, Long Yu will conduct a program featuring the Chinese folk song “Flowing Stream,” Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, with pianist Serena Wang, the Farmers’ Chorus of the Yunnan Province, and vocal soloists. The concert will also feature Andy Akiho’s Ricochet, Concerto for Ping Pong, Violin, Percussion, and Orchestra. Soloists in the work will include Philharmonic violinist Elizabeth Zeltser, ping pong players Ariel Hsing and Michael Landers, and percussionist David Cossin, who performed the world premiere with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra led by Long Yu in 2015. Leading up to the concert, related activities on February 20 include a free outdoor event at 4:30 p.m. on Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza, featuring the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and public school students from the National Dance Institute in traditional dances. On February 16, Philharmonic musicians will perform works by Very Young Composers of New York and Shanghai created through Musical Postcards, in which students from different countries share stories and musical ideas. The Philharmonic is partnering with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts for a series of U.S.–China artistic Chinese New Year celebrations, including fireworks over the Hudson River.
Posted February 16, 2018