Youngest symphony orchestra debuts with youthful pluck

The Quancheng Symphony Orchestra, China's youngest symphony orchestra, was founded in 2024 and debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Wednesday. Its members have an average age of 26.

Under the baton of conductor Yang Li, the orchestra performed a commissioned work in its first half titled Tide Rises on the Great River, an adaptation of the song Sing for the Spring City. The second half of the concert saw musicians playing Dvorak's Symphony No 9From The New World.

The concert is part of the ongoing ninth China Orchestra Festival launched by the NCPA, and gathers around 20 symphony orchestras nationwide.

As the first professional symphony orchestra headquartered in Jinan, Shandong province, it is named after the poetic nickname for Jinan — Quancheng, which is known for its numerous natural springs.

Jinan-born percussionist Zhang Jingli also joined the concert at the NCPA, performing a percussion concerto consisting of three movements, each drawing inspiration from different traditional Chinese elements, such as Peking Opera and traditional gong and drum sounds.