The New York Philharmonic announces its annual Lunar New Year celebration, the first in a virtual format, on February 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST. The free concert broadcast will air on the Philharmonic’s Facebook and YouTube channels and at nyphil.org/lny, and will remain available on demand for two weeks. This year’s Lunar New Year celebration is dedicated to the memory of Shirley Young – the Philharmonic Board Member and champion of the Orchestra’s annual Lunar New Year celebrations since their inception – who passed away on December 26.
The program combines orchestral performances from past Lunar New Year concerts with contemporary chamber music by a Chinese composer and virtual collaborations. Artists include conductor Long Yu, pianist Lang Lang, musicians from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and students at the Shanghai Orchestra Academy. The repertoire ranges from Liszt and Tchaikovsky to Li Huanzhi and Chen Yi.
The Presenting Sponsor of the Lunar New Year celebration is Starr International Foundation, which also presents the activities connected with the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Partnership. The Honorary Co-Chairs are Mr. and Mrs. Maurice R. Greenberg; the Co-Chairs are Angela Chen, Charles C. Y. Chen, Misook and Harry Doolittle, Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar L. Tang, and Maggie and Richard Tsai.