Sydney Symphony Orchestra Set for for Beijing's Annual May Festival

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is set to represent Australia next week at the Annual May festival of chamber music at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) as part of a prominent line-up of classical music artists from across the world including cellists from the Vienna Philharmonic and Vladimir and Vovka Ashkenazy Piano Duo.

An ensemble of 20 strings musicians led by SSO Concertmaster Andrew Haveron will be joined by Chinese violinist Lu Siqing, hailed by strings magazine The Strad as an "outstanding talent", in performing works by Bach and Grieg plus late Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe on 20 May.

Following the festival, Haveron will travel to Shanghai to visit the Shanghai Orchestra Academy under a new Memorandum of Understanding between the SSO and the institution. In the first of many mentoring and performance activities to be provided by the SSO to Academy students, Haveron will watch student auditions and provide feedback on the performances. Three students chosen by Haveron will then fly to Sydney to undertake a training and performance residency from 13 July to 24 July 2015 with the SSO.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Managing Director Rory Jeffes said the trip is part of the Orchestra's continuing work in creating a meaningful dialogue with China and its people, through performances, cultural exchange and working with young Chinese musicians. "This trip will be an important step in our friendship with China and two of its leading cultural institutions," Mr Jeffes said.