Overview
Biography
Hu Yongyan is just being appointed recently as the Principal Guest Conductor of Rostock Philharmonie. Northern Germany. He is also the Artistic Director of the EOS Repertoire Orchestra-China's Orchestra Academy at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Born in Shanghai, he is the third generation of his family to follow an artistic career. His grandfather taught him to play the violin and his parents both played in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. His uncles and aunt achieved prominence in films, literature and ballet, with one uncle a student of acclaimed Chinese author Lu Xun.
September, 2013, Mr. Hu had his very successful debut with Detroit Symphony Orchestra, performing renowned Chinese composer, Ye Xiaogang's works at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York.
Mr. Hu began his formal studies at China's prestigious Central Conservatory of Music after which he studied at Yale University and at the Juilliard School from which he received a masters degree. His formal training has been augmented by regular creative collaboration with talented musicians, resulting in the production of classical music, operas, musicals, film soundtracks and roadshow arrangements.
He served as Music Director and Conductor of the Lincoln, Nebraska Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 1998 and also of the Duluth, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 2000. After returning to China, he served as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Shanghai Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; He also led the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on an acclaimed European tour as well as served as Principal Conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra, leading its first visit to South Korea and Taiwan.
Mr. Hu led the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra on a well-received concert tour of the United States in 2009, performing at both Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, which was described by the Washington Post as: "Maestro Hu led his musicians, caught the full measure of the anxious despair Bernstein voiced in his score, with its tropical rhythmic patterns and percussive instrumental colours set against the chaotic noises of New York streets."
His guest conducting includes appearances with major orchestras in Europe, the United States and Asia. Maestro Hu has performed with such leading international orchestras as the Orchestra National de France, London's Royal Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, as well as orchestras in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has worked with leading German orchestras and opera houses including the Lübeck Opera, Opera Kiel and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Hu's television work includes CCTV's "Cheers for China" which introduced Chinese culture and artists to audiences in China, as well as in the United States, Great Britain, Brazil, and Greece.
He has served as Music Director of the Beijing Modern Music Festival, in cooperation with prominent Chinese composer and Beijing Modern Music Festival Artistic Director Ye Xiaogang, promoting new works and developing musical appreciation with young audiences. In September 2010, he toured Canada with the Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe, performing with Peking Opera Master Mei Baojiui, and with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The tour was highly successful in promoting cultural exchange with North America.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hu has collaborated with such internationally respected artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Barbara Hendricks, Pinchas Zukerman, Lang Lang, Charlotte Church, Nana Mouskouri, Doc Severinsen, Mark O'Connor and Muraji Kaori. He has arranged master classes by leading soloists and orchestral performers for enriching the musical education of highly gifted young Chinese musicians.
In 2004, his alma mater, the Central Conservatory of Music, invited him to establish Asia's first Orchestra Academy as a graduate school for training soloists and orchestral performers, which included the establishment of the EOS Orchestra. Students receive a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Central Conservatory of Music and enjoy an employment rate approaching 100%. The EOS Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hu not only performs a full regular concert season at the highly regarded Beijing Concert Hall, but also offers weekend concerts at the National Centre of Performing Arts, China's premier musical venue. Mr. Hu's sensitive interpretation of the complete Mahler symphonies at the National Theatre was widely acclaimed by both music professionals and audiences.
Mr. Hu's personal dynamism expresses itself through his musicianship, administrative vision and through his powerful commitment to music education. Since 2011, under his guidance, the EOS Orchestra has invited nearly 10,000 university students to listen to classical music through the 'U-Music' program. Under his initiative, the EOS Orchestra is assisting schools for migrant worker children in Beijing suburbs to develop a 'Music Rainbow' program for them to learn and enjoy music, thereby enriching their lives with beauty. Mr. Hu's own life in music has been multiplied through his various initiatives to share world-class music with children and adults, resulting in his broad popularity with audiences and with his professional colleagues.
