Tour will include concerts in Taipei, Kyoto, Tokyo, Incheon, and Seoul with soloists Seong-Jin Cho, Haochen Zhang, and Lisa Batiashvili
(Philadelphia, July 11, 2019)—Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra on a 2019 Tour of Asia, October 31–November 10, 2019. The tour will feature eight concerts in five cities: Taipei, Kyoto, Tokyo, Incheon, and Seoul. Pianists Seong-Jin Cho and Haochen Zhang and violinist Lisa Batiashvili will join as soloists.
“We are proud to be ‘Your Philadelphia Orchestra’ not just in our beloved Philadelphia communities and across the country, but also around the globe,” said Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “We look forward to reconnecting with audiences in Asia as we collaborate with incredible soloists to share the joy of music on our journey.”
“The relationships we have built around the world continue to inspire us,” said President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “It is extraordinary to witness the chemistry between Yannick and the musicians of the Orchestra, and to share this special connection with global audiences is particularly rewarding.”
Tour Concert Schedule
Taipei: Oct. 31 at National Concert Hall, National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center
Taipei: Nov.1 at National Concert Hall, National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center
Kyoto: Nov. 3 at Kyoto Concert Hall
Tokyo: Nov. 4 at Suntory Hall
Tokyo: Nov. 5 at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Concert Hall
Tokyo: Nov. 7 at NHK Hall
Incheon: Nov. 9 at Arts Center Incheon
Seoul: Nov. 10 at Seoul Arts Center
Taipei
During the opening concert of the tour, the Orchestra will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (with Seong-Jin Cho) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). The second concert will feature Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (with Lisa Batiashvili) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
The Philadelphia Orchestra first performed in Taipei in 1999 with Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch. Subsequent visits took place in 2005 under Music Director Christoph Eschenbach and in 2014 during Nézet-Séguin’s inaugural tour with the Orchestra.
Kyoto and Tokyo
The concerts on November 3, 5, and 7 will feature Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Haochen Zhang) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). The concert on November 4 will feature Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (with Lisa Batiashvili) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The November 7 concert, part of the prestigious NHK Festival, will be broadcast on NHK television throughout Japan.
The Philadelphia Orchestra first toured Tokyo in 1967 under Music Director Eugene Ormandy during the Orchestra’s first tour of Asia. The 2019 Tour of Asia will mark the Orchestra’s 15th visit to Tokyo and its second visit to Kyoto.
Incheon and Seoul
The Orchestra will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (with Seoul-born Seong-Jin Cho) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”).
This will be The Philadelphia Orchestra’s debut in Incheon, one of Philadelphia’s sister cities, and the first time an American orchestra has performed at the Arts Center Incheon. The Orchestra has visited Seoul eight times throughout its history, beginning in 1978 under Ormandy, and most recently in 2017 under Nézet-Séguin.
Patron Tour
The Orchestra is planning a Patron Tour as part of the 2019 Tour of Asia. From October 31–November 9, 2019, the Patron Tour will take place in Kyoto and Tokyo, including all four Orchestra concerts during that time, a variety of tourism activities in and around the two cities, and special opportunities to interact with Orchestra musicians and leadership. For more information, contact Mitch Bassion at 215.893.1811 or mbassion@philorch.org.
Supporters
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2019 Tour of Asia is made possible through the generous support of valued sponsors and partners. Temple University is the official education partner of the tour. Morgan Lewis is the official legal partner. Tour support is also provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Philadelphia Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. In addition to these sponsors, a number of partners who work closely with The Philadelphia Orchestra, including Team Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia International Airport, will join parts of the tour to recruit investment and jobs to the Philadelphia region.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
215.893.1939
aberke@philorch.org
Natalie Lewis
215.893.3136
nlewis@philorch.org