The Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra (XPO) ) is based in

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

Province,

the People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. It is one of the top orchestras in China, and the only non-state-owned and self-financing orchestra in the country. Founded in 1998, XPO plays the majority of its concerts at Music Island Philharmonic Hall, Xiamen. XPO's founder is Zheng Xiaoying, and the current artistic director is Fu Renchang. Under the dynamic directorship of Zheng, the orchestra's reputation has increased rapidly. Zheng attempts to make "symphonic music more accessible to those not accustomed to it." The orchestra gives more than 80 concerts annually, including education programs and regular weekend concerts in

. XPO has performed throughout China,

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, with over 350 guest musicians. The XPO "stands shoulder to shoulder with the finest State symphony orchestras of China." XPO was founded by Zheng in 1998. The orchestra started out with 30 members and had 80 by 2002. The XPO was created by an invitation to Zheng from the local Xiamen government. XPO has made short tours to 41 cities across China. In 2002, the Orchestra performed in three cities in Japan and received high praise from world-class juries in the Fourth

International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

held in Xiamen. In 2003, XPO performed in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and participated in the Shanghai International Art Festival. In October 2006, it took part in the International Chorus Competition in Xiamen, and in the same Autumn, they performed in Taiwan. In April 2007, XPO made a European tour, holding very successful concerts dedicated to Chinese symphonic compositions in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The orchestra has performed together with world famous musicians including

Edward Auer Edward Auer (born December 7, 1941 in New York City) is an American classical pianist. In 1965, he became the first American to win a prize in the VII International Chopin Piano Competition. Due to his frequent and subsequent touring in Poland, M ...

and

Midori Gotō , who performs under the mononym Midori, is a Japanese-born American violinist. She made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11 as a surprise guest soloist at the New Year's Eve Gala in 1982. In 1986 her performance at the Tanglewoo ...

. Coming from all across China, the 80 orchestra members are devoting their efforts to the objective of developing

into the "Music Island of the Orient" and ensuring that it can live up to this name.

References

External links

Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra Official Website
China orchestras Xiamen Musical groups established in 1998 {{China-music-stub