Ten Concerts, Nine Days, and Six Cities: the Oberlin Orchestra Embarks on a Tour of China in December
Marci Janas '91
November 11 , 2005
（12月15日晚上，先在本校上演一场热身）
Ten concerts, nine days, six cities—the numbers add up to an intense tour schedule under ordinary circumstances. But for members of the Oberlin Orchestra, the intensity is heightened by the fact that the six cities are in the People’s Republic of China.
The ensemble of 66 Conservatory students selected by audition leaves for China on Dec. 23, 2005, and will perform in some of that country’s premier venues, including the Beijing Poly Theater and the Shanghai Concert Hall.
The tour begins with three concerts in Anshan, in central Liaoning Province, followed by a performance in Shenyang. From there it’s on to Dalian, at the southern tip of the province, for two concerts. Two evening performances in Beijing are next on the itinerary, followed by a concert in Tianjing. The tour concludes with a performance in Shanghai. The musicians return home on Jan. 5, 2006.
The orchestra members represent cities throughout the United States and Canada, as well as South Korea, Bulgaria, Denmark, and Singapore. Bridget-Michaele Reischl, music director of the Oberlin Orchestras, will conduct the ensemble during the tour; J Freivogel of St. Louis, Missouri, is concertmaster.
Along with intensive rehearsal sessions, the student-musicians are preparing for the tour by taking a course, China Tour Preparation, offered by the College’s East Asian studies department.
Bridget-Michaele Reischl conducting the Oberlin Orchestra in Finney Chapel in October. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni
（哈Landy，你又上镜了）
Funding for the tour is being provided by the Liaoning Performance Company, a presenting company from China; Chinese businessman Sen Wang; the Chinese Ministry of Culture; and the Conservatory.
The concert program includes the overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, selections from Bizet’s Carmen, Strauss’ Blue Danube, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5, Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances Op. 46, Nos. 1, 3, and 8, and Chinese folk songs. In addition, this core program will alternate George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. Pianist Thomas Rosenkranz, a 1999 graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, will be the featured soloist for the Gershwin.
The orchestra also will perform the official songs of Anshan, Dalian, and Beijing, respectively, during concerts in those cities. In Dalian, they will perform under the baton of guest conductor Fan Tao. Tao, a conductor with the China Broadcasting Performing-Arts Troupe, was awarded a special prize at the 2000 Sibelius International Conducting Competition in Helsinki, Finland.
A trip to China made last spring by the Dean of the Conservatory, David H. Stull, and several faculty members was the genesis of this tour. The Oberlin contingent was invited by the Szechuan Conservatory in Cheng du and visited major concert halls and music schools, where they gave master classes.
“Our primary interest was to visit major schools to get a sense of their philosophy of teaching and to establish at least an informal relationship with the leaders of those institutions,” says Stull. In April, five members of the Szechuan Conservatory made a reciprocal visit to Oberlin to explore the nuances of American conservatory training.
“This China tour will be of immense educational benefit to Oberlin students,” says tour manager James Kalyn. “In addition to the musical growth they will experience by performing the same pieces over and over again—something students in conservatory orchestras rarely get to do—they will be exposed to the culture of an emerging economic superpower.”
“China now produces some of the world’s finest musicians,” adds Stull. “Many of these young people come to Oberlin to study. Of the 50 students enrolled in the Conservatory from countries in Asia, 15 are from China. It is in our own students’ best interest to explore the educational and performance opportunities this country has to offer.”
Concert Schedule
December 25, 2005
Anshan Shengli Auditorium,
3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
December 26, 2005
Anshan
Shengli Auditorium, 7 p.m.
December 27, 2005
Shenyang
Nanfeng International Centre, 7 p.m.
December 28, 2005
Dalian
Dalian Broadcasting Centre, 7 p.m.
December 29, 2005
Dalian
Dalian Broadcasting Centre, 7 p.m.
December 30, 2005
Beijing
Poly Theatre, 7 p.m.
December 31, 2005
Beijing
Poly Theatre, 7 p.m.
January 1, 2006
Tianjing
Venue TBA, 7 p.m.
January 2, 2006
Shanghai
Shanghai Concert Hall, 7 p.m.
