A broadcast first: KUSC to air Shanghai Symphony concert series from China

Originally published by USC News on May 25, 2017. Written by Allison Engel. 

Starting Saturday, Classical KUSC will air a series of 13 concerts by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra — a first for U.S. radio audiences.

Each concert will air 8-10 p.m. on Saturdays, through Aug. 26. The series features an all-star line-up of soloists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Maxim Vengerov, Yujia Wang and Christian Tetzlaff. Guest conductors include Zubin Mehta, Sir Andrew Davis, Osmo Vänskä, Daniele Gatt and Paavo Järvi.

Culminating in highlights from the first Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, the final broadcast in the series will present the $100,000 grand prize-winning performance of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1. The series also offers performances from the orchestra’s pioneering young artists program, the Shanghai Orchestra Academy, operated in partnership with musicians from the New York Philharmonic.

Most of the recordings are from the past three seasons and were made in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s hall, which opened in fall 2014.

The series is being distributed by the WFMT Radio Network in Chicago and also will air on KUSC’s sister station, Classical KDFC in San Francisco, at a later date. The host for all broadcasts is KDFC announcer Hoyt Smith, an award-winning classical host.

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Asia’s first symphony orchestra, presented Asian premieres of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mozart, Mendelssohn and other giants of classical music. Maestro Long Yu has served as music director of the Shanghai Symphony since 2009 and regularly appears as a guest conductor with orchestras around the world.

Visit KUSC for the full schedule.