Members of Philadelphia Orchestra to Play for Cultural Ambassadors, 9/22

(Philadelphia, September 18, 2014)-The Philadelphia Orchestra continues to break new ground as one of the United States' foremost cultural ambassadors with a Monday, September 22, performance at 7:15 PM at the United Nations on the occasion of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly at the invitation of the Global Sustainable Development Foundation, a new foundation focused on supporting the mission of the United Nations.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads an ensemble of 12 Philadelphia Orchestra musicians and 12 choristers from the Philadelphia Singers in the U.S. premiere of "Ode to Humanity" for delegates and invited guests at a private Gala Dinner in the United Nations Delegates Dining Room. The event is hosted by the Global Partnership Forum, the Global Sustainable Development Foundation, and the New York Academy of Sciences. At the invitation of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, serves as emcee of the concert program.

Wang Ning's "Ode to Humanity" was arranged by Ke-Chia Chen, in collaboration with the Shenzhen International Culture Exchange Association, and was specifically selected as a tribute to the United Nation's commitment to promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. Orchestra musicians will be joined onstage by select members of the Philadelphia Singers. The Orchestra's legacy as cultural emissaries and its shared advocacy through music of the United Nations core values led to its invitation to perform for distinguished guests from around the world, including first ladies, heads of states, ambassadors to the United Nations, UN officials, and leading entrepreneurs.

The Global Sustainable Development Foundation works in line with the United Nations to achieve its Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals by supporting six areas in the economic and social sectors to achieve sustainable development. Its focus area of culture aligns with the Orchestra's leadership role in cultural exchange, inspiring the performance of "Ode to Humanity," which interprets the core values of Confucian culture in the form of a western symphony and advocates humanistic thought and temperament, wisdom, and tolerance.

"It is a privilege to be invited to perform at the United Nations during the opening of the UN General Assembly," said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. "In our historic, century-long role as a global cultural ambassador, The Philadelphia Orchestra has shared music's unique ability to transcend cultural boundaries and touch people wherever they may live. This performance of 'Ode to Humanity' is the next step for the Orchestra in our commitment to fostering shared, cross-cultural understanding and to creating people-to-people connections."

"It is truly befitting for one of the world's premier arts organizations, The Philadelphia Orchestra, to perform at the United Nations and to celebrate the official Launch of the Global Sustainable Development Foundation," said Amir Dossal, GSDF board member. "People are at the center of the GSDF's goal of sustainable development. Because music is a universal language it has a unique ability to bring people together, thus this performance corresponds seamlessly with our mission to create a world that is just, equitable, and inclusive."

"I am gratified to participate in this historic performance," Lang Lang said. "My relationships with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the United Nations are deep and meaningful because of the important work each does in their own spheres of influence. Shenzhen, which I serve as International Image Goodwill Ambassador, is also a special city for me. To have these institutions combine with the city and contribute together a message of humanity to a worldwide audience is a distinct honor."

Orchestra musicians performing at the United Nations are Associate Concertmaster Ying Fu; Associate Principal Second Violin Paul Roby; violinists Hirono Oka and Philip Kates; violists Judy Geist and Anna Marie Ahn Petersen; Principal Cello Hai-Ye Ni; Acting Assistant Principal Cello John Koen; Associate Principal Flute David Cramer; oboist Jonathan Blumenfeld; Principal Bassoon Daniel Matsukawa; and horn player Jeffry Kirschen.

The musicians will be joined by choristers from the Philadelphia Singers, who are frequent collaborators with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Led by Music Director David Hayes, the singers who will join the Orchestra musicians in performance are Gregory Cantwell, Krystiane Cooper, Lucas DeJesus, Colin Dill, Alyson Harvey, Michael Hogue, Fernando Mancillas, Stephanie Overton-Hall, Michael Savino, Rebecca Siler, Jenifer Smith, and Susan Weinman.

The performance will be streamed live at 7:15 PM on the United Nations website, http://webtv.un.org, and will also be broadcast in New York on UNTV Channel 150 on Time Warner Cable.

The concert follows a July 2014 event at the Chinese Embassy in Washington where the Orchestra was lauded by the Embassy and the State Department for setting a new standard for cultural and artistic exchange between the U.S. and China. At the event the Orchestra and its members were recognized by American and Chinese diplomats for distinguishing themselves as cultural ambassadors in an important global relationship and for bridging the people of both countries through music exchange.

The concert also comes after the Orchestra's recently completed 2014 Tour of Asia & China Residency (May 20-June 6) and honors 35 years of official relations between the United States and China. The Orchestra helped inaugurate the diplomatic relationship between the two countries in 1973 when it became the first American orchestra to perform in China, at the request of President Nixon. The 2014 Tour of Asia & China Residency was Nézet-Séguin's inaugural tour with the Orchestra and included nine concerts and more than 30 residency activities, including master classes, hospital visits, and side-by-side concerts. An additional highlight of the residency activities was a side-by-side rehearsal of "Ode to Humanity" with members of the Shenzhen Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra. The performance at the United Nations is another example of the growing collaboration between the city of Shenzhen, the people of China, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The UN performance and the 2015-16 season of U.S.-China cultural exchange for The Philadelphia Orchestra both in the United States and China are made possible by Presenting Sponsor Sands China Ltd.

World-renowned Lang Lang, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, is a close friend of The Philadelphia Orchestra and a graduate of Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. He has performed frequently with the Orchestra after making his debut with the ensemble in May of 2001 and joined the Orchestra for a concert in Beijing during its centennial year tour, also in 2001. He helps open the Orchestra's 2014-15 season with concerts on September 26-28 in Philadelphia. Lang Lang has been Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the past 10 years, helping raise awareness to ensure every child's right to quality health care and education. In addition, he has frequently used his music to raise funds for UNICEF and for humanitarian aid in emergencies, such as a special performance for a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York to benefit the UNICEF emergency response to the earthquake in Haiti. Lang Lang is also Shenzhen's International Image Goodwill Ambassador.

Ke-Chia Chen's compositions have been performed by leading orchestras, chamber ensembles, and soloists throughout the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. Her music has been programmed at a variety of different venues including Carnegie Hall (Song of the Wanderer, for clarinet and piano), the Indianapolis Symphony (Broken Crystal, for orchestra), WHYY radio in Philadelphia (The Desires, for viola and double string quartet), and the Delaware Symphony's Miles of Manuscript-a New Music Concert (Rhapsody of Seasons, for string quartet). Her work To an Isolated Island for piano solo, can be heard on the Blue Griffin Recording Label release Formosa: 24 Caprices.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin's third season as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra opens September 26-28 with Lang Lang, who performs Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453. The Orchestra's 2014-15 season includes such highlights as the 40/40 Project, in which 40 great compositions that haven't been heard on subscription concerts in at least 40 years-or ever-will be performed; an Art of the Pipe Organ celebration, which takes place over the course of four subscription weeks in the fall; Bernstein's profound and theatrical MASS, the pinnacle of the Orchestra's five-season requiem cycle; and Rachmaninoff's complete symphonies.

The Philadelphia Singers (TPS) has been the mid-Atlantic region's premier professional chorus for over 40 years, garnering national acclaim for artistic excellence. Since its founding in 1972, TPS has consistently provided the Philadelphia community with innovative and engaging performances in the choral arts and has partnered with many of the most renowned musical institutions in the region. In addition to concert activities, TPS is an active member of the Philadelphia community. For over a decade, TPS has sponsored a variety of community outreach programs, with an emphasis on making music education and concert experiences accessible to all students in the region. Through mentorship programs, school outreach performances, and community sing-ins, hundreds of Philadelphia-area children and adults have received an introduction to or a continuation of their arts education from some of the best artists in the region.

The Global Sustainable Development Foundation (GSDF) is a new foundation focused on supporting the mission of the United Nations to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The GSDF has established a global network of funders and partners to support six areas of focus in the economic and social sectors to achieve sustainable development: Women & Children, Scientific Innovation, Finance & Resources, Culture & Heritage, Creative Engagement & Branding, and Partnerships. The GSDF is privileged to have Dr. John Ashe, the 68th President of the United Nations General Assembly, at the helm of this foundation, as the Honorary Chairman.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and China

The Philadelphia Orchestra recently completed its 2014 Tour of Asia & China Residency (May 20-June 6), marking Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin's first tour with The Philadelphia Orchestra. With the 2014 China Residency, The Philadelphia Orchestra built upon the tremendous success of its previous two years of residency work in China and continued to engage Chinese music lovers both in concert halls and through community engagement. In 2012 the ensemble reconnected with its historical roots in China and more deeply embraced its role as a cultural ambassador by launching a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, a pilot residency that united the Orchestra with talented young Chinese musicians and composers to further develop their orchestral skills. The residency also served to bring orchestral music, through performances and master classes, not only to China's major cities but also further into the provinces, and to connect through the hearts of local musicians to their supporting communities, through the sharing of musical talents between its own musicians and Chinese musicians, engaging in music education, and spreading the joy of classical music with citizens in residential neighborhoods and at landmark historic sites. The success of this pilot program was confirmed when the Orchestra and the NCPA signed a long-term agreement to extend this partnership into future residency programs, and in May-June 2013 the Orchestra triumphantly returned for its Residency and Fortieth Anniversary Tour of China-with over 50 activities in 15 days.

The innovative program continues to represent a bridge for cultural, educational, and diplomatic exchange between China and the United States, as the two nations celebrate 35 years of diplomatic relations. Since 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon asked the Orchestra to be the first U.S. orchestra to perform in China, the ensemble has enjoyed a unique and special relationship with China and its people. The Orchestra has returned in 1993, 1996, 2001, 2008, and 2010, when it helped to open the World Expo in Shanghai, prior to its residencies in 2012 and 2013.In 2014 The Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to Changsha marked the first U.S. orchestra to perform in that city and its performance in the Shenzhen Concert Hall was the first by an American orchestra. Through a partnership with Xinhui Media Group the Orchestra's 2014 concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre was webcast over the internet and viewed by nearly 250,000 people.

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

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