Yu Long (; pinyin: Yú Lóng; born July 1, 1964) is a Chinese conductor. He is currently artistic director and chief conductor of the

China Philharmonic The China Philharmonic Orchestra ( 中国爱乐乐团; abbreviated CPO) is an orchestra founded in Beijing, China, on May 25, 2000, based on the previous "China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra". It is a division of the State Administration of Ra ...

and of the

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Yu Long. Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the Shanghai Public Band, expanding in 1 ...

, music director of the

Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO; ) is an orchestra based in Guangzhou, Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The c ...

, and principal guest conductor of the

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Cantonese: 香港管弦樂團), commonly abbreviated as HKPO or HKPhil (Cantonese: 港樂), is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1947 as an amateur orchestra under the name Si ...

. Yu is also the Chairman of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival and co-director of the Music in the Summer Air Festival (MISA).

Biography

The son of a pianist mother Ding Jiannuo and a choreographer father Yu Lixun Yu was born into a family of musicians in

Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

and grew up during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

. Yu received his early childhood music education beginning with piano studies from his grandfather, the composer

Ding Shande Ding Shande (; November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1995) was a Chinese composer, pianist, and music teacher. Biography Ding was born in Kunshan, Jiangsu. He studied music with teachers including Huang Tzu at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. D ...

. He continued his piano studies at the

Shanghai Conservatory of Music The Shanghai Conservatory of Music () was founded on November 27, 1927, as the first music institution of higher education in China. Its teachers and students have won awards at home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name "the crad ...

, and also began conducting studies, graduating from the conservatory in 1987. He further studied music in Europe at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...

. After returning from Europe, Yu was appointed principal conductor of the Central Opera Theatre in Beijing in 1992, serving for three years. He produced operas for the

Urban Council of Hong Kong The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

for five years. He was a founder of the Beijing Music Festival (BMF) in 1998, becoming its first artistic director. In 2000, the Chinese government invited Yu to assume leadership of the China Broadcasting Symphony (also called the China National Symphony). Yu held open auditions, becoming the first Chinese orchestra to recruit all its performers this way. The symphony was renamed the

China Philharmonic Orchestra The China Philharmonic Orchestra ( 中国爱乐乐团; abbreviated CPO) is an orchestra founded in Beijing, China, on May 25, 2000, based on the previous "China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra". It is a division of the State Administration of Ra ...

. In 2008, Yu and the China Philharmonic performed for

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

at the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

, as part of increased diplomatic initiative between China and the Vatican. In July 2014, the China Philharmonic was the first Chinese orchestra to perform at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

. In 2003, the

appointed Yu its music director. In 2009, the

appointed Yu its music director. During his tenure, the orchestra has begun its Music in the Summer Air Festival (MISA) in August 2010, constructed a new home for the orchestra (the Shanghai Symphony Hall) in 2014, established the Shanghai Orchestra Academy in 2014, and begun the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition in 2016. Yu has shared the position of Artistic Co-Director of the Music In the Summer Air Festival (MISA) with Charles Dutoit since the festival's launch in 2010. In January 2015, Yu was named principal guest conductor of the

, the first appointment of a mainland Chinese conductor to the position. In June 2018,

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

announced an exclusive recording deal with Yu and

(SSO).

Select discography

Honors and awards

* 2002: Arts Patronage Award of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation * 2003: '' Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'', France * 2005: ''L'onorificenza di commendatore'', Italy * December 2014: Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, France * October 2015: Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award * April 2016: Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts & Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

* June 2016:

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

References

External links

*
Askonas Holt management biography of Long YuCompose 20:20 Project
* ttp://www.gso.org.cn/en/portfolio/artist-long-yu/ Guangzhou Symphony biography of Long Yubr>Music in the Summer Air page on Long Yu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Long 1964 births Living people Chinese conductors (music) Musicians from Shanghai Shanghai Conservatory of Music alumni Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Legion of Honour Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 21st-century conductors (music) Chinese musicians Chinese art directors