Music promoter no slave to borders

His past projects have involved touring international orchestras in China and vice versa, but Wu Jiatong is about to do something different: tour a foreign orchestra in another part of the world.

Wu, general manager of Wu Promotion, one of the first private touring companies and promoters in China, is planning a Middle Eastern tour of the Symphony Orchestra of India in February. Also in the works: a European tour of the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra in 2014.

The company has set up offices in Muscat and Munich, and is planning to open offices in North and South Americas by 2016.

"We are going to be a global company. That means, any artist or performing arts group in the world who wants to tour a different country or region can come to us," he says.

Wu finds that not many Chinese cities are culturally mature enough to receive a commercial tour of an international symphony orchestra. Plus, the long distances between them makes a China tour as onerous for an orchestra as a tour between countries.

So he is eager to expand outside of China even as he continues to bring international performers here as much as he can.

Wu will begin with India, as he sees opportunities in India that China used to have 20 years ago but not any more.

"Twenty years ago, everybody wanted to perform in China, even for little or no fee, because everybody wanted to see China," he says."However, having toured China a few times, and after the market here has developed for two decades, international artists would demand commercial tours that pay them as much as anywhere else."

In India, where Indian music is very strong while Western performing arts are still rare. So international artists are as eager to enter the market as they were to come to China 20 years ago.

Wu sees Mumbai as a strategic point, as it's a short flight to many Middle Eastern countries that are rich but without many cultural events. The Middle Eastern tour of the Mumbai-based Symphony Orchestra of India will be a test drive. He's also planning an Asian tour of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic next year, which will include Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao, Taipei, Singapore and Mumbai.

Founded in 1991 by Wu and his father, Wu Promotion now produces 400 to 500 concerts and events every year, in China and abroad. One of their best-known projects is the annual overseas tour of traditional Chinese orchestras during the Spring Festival time.

The Chinese groups that Wu Promotion has toured internationally include some of the most established in China, like China Philharmonic Orchestra, National Peking Opera Company of China and Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. Its international clients include Staatskapelle Dresden under Christian Thielemann, which just performed in Taipei and Shanghai, and will give two concerts on Nov 2 and 3 at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Wu believes that, compared to 20 years ago, the environment in China for performing arts has improved greatly. For example, there is no longer any problem with logistics, as China can provide good transportation and accommodation. Many brand-new theaters have been built, and more sponsorship is available because people are already familiar with and enjoy Western performing arts such as symphonic music and ballet.

However, Wu says it's still a challenge to organize performing arts tours in China, because of the complicated process of getting government approvals and a lack of contract procedures among the parties involved.

Wu says the greatest challenge for his company to become global is not money, but the lack of experienced arts managers in China.

There are cultural differences when working with different countries, too. His solution is to hire local employees, such as his Arabic manager in Muscat. Now more than 20 of the company's 50-plus employees are foreigners.

"Some Chinese technology companies such as Huawei and Lenovo have already become global companies," Wu says.

"Now it's time for us to do the same in performing arts touring."

muqian@chinadaily.com.cn