Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra

Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) was founded in 1957. After decades of artistic growth, GSO becomes one of the most prestigious orchestras in China. Maestro Long Yu, the current music director, is a Chinese conductor with an established international reputation. He has appeared as guest conductor collaborated with numerous prestigious orchestras and opera companies in the world. He holds also Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival.

The pursuit of artistic improvement and artistic identity is well maintained throughout the GSO growing history. The orchestra has performed alongside many of the world’s leading artists, including Li Delun, Zheng Xiaoying, Huang Xiaotong, Yan Liangkun, Han Zhongjie, Xu Xin, Bian Zushan, Tang Muhai, Chen Xieyang, Zhang Guoyong, Tan Lihua, Yu Feng, Hu Yongyan, En Shao, Wing-sie Yip, Li Xincao, Yang Yang, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Krzysztof Penderecki,
Claus Peter Flor, Klaus Weise, John Nelson, Jiri Belohlavek, Martha Argerich, Gary Graffman, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Annie Suphie Mutter, Mischa Maisky, Sarah Chang, Augustin Dumay, Joseph Silverstein, Emanuel Ax, Barry Douglas, Jahja Ling, Kun-Woo Paik, Jian Wang, Lang Lang, Tan Dun, Qigang Chen, Guo Wenjing, Chen Yi, Zhou Long and many others both at home and abroad.

Besides performing regular symphonic concerts, the orchestra developed its potentiality to opera and ballet performances. GSO produced and performed at least one opera concert per season since 2004. The productions of operas have included Carmen, La Traviata, The Magic Flute, Turandot and Tosca. Moreover, GSO has presented numerous performances in collaboration with world leading ballet companies, such as English National Ballet, Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet Company of the Hungarian State Opera, Germany National Ballet, Australian Ballet, Cuba National Ballet, and Hong Kong Ballet. The productions of ballet repertoire have included Swan Lake,The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderalla, The Tales of Hoffman, Les Sylphides, La Traviata, and Anna Karenina.

Following the U.S. tour, GSO also traveled to Japan on invitation for celebrating the Asian Orchestra Week 2005 and presented two concerts at the Symphony Hall in Osaka and Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo. Just after that, GSO toured to Hawaii and had performance in the Neal S Blaisdell Concert Hall, for celebrating the friendship between Guangdong Province and Hawaii City for the 20th anniversary.

In December 2006, the orchestra was invited to perform both in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 15th Asian Games holding in Doha. The orchestra gained great honor on behalf of China with their excellent performance. In October 2009, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, GSO participated in two significant international culture events in Europe – the Opening Concert for the Festival EUROPALIA CHINA 2009 in Brussels, Belgium on October 8th and the Chinese Music Themes Concert in Asia-Pacific Week on October 12th in the Konzerthaus Berlin in Germany. Until now, GSO is the first and the only one Chinese symphony orchestra that has left music footprints in five continents around the world, which received highly reputation both at home and overseas.