“Ode to Virtue” stuns audiences

The Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the SSO chorus and the Shenzhen Senior High School Lily Children’s Choir, conducted by Lin Daye, performed “Ode to Virtue”- to usher in the 9th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) in May - to great acclaim, and UNESCO has formally invited the orchestra to perform the work at its headquarters in Paris on World Peace Day which falls on September 21.

“Ode to Virtue” is a choral symphony by contemporary Chinese composer Wang Ning, with lyrics by Yi Heng and Han Wangxi. It was commissioned by the Shenzhen Municipal Government and attempts to interpret Confucian philosophy through classical music. Producer Wang Jingsheng said that “Ode to Virtue aims to tell the world who we are by music, which has no boundaries.”

Shenzhen has strived to become a world-class city, and many see this symphony as a symbol of the city’s development. Though it focuses on Confucius - thus highlighting China’s traditional culture – the work also stresses the value of the current government’s policies.