Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra
Yang Yang, conductor

In the just over ten years since it was established, the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra has become one of the most important orchestras in China. Founded in Hangzhou (a city 300 kilometres from Shanghai) in 2009, it has established itself not only with concerts of symphonic music but also with operas and ballets and a range of crossover projects. The orchestra has performed with an impressive array of renowned musicians from China and around the world, including Lang Lang, Sarah Chang, Andrei Gavrilov, Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov and Yo-Yo Ma, and conductors such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Zubin Mehta, Osmo Vanska and Paavo Järvi. It performs regularly at major political meetings and state ceremonial events in China. The orchestra had its first European tour in 2011, during which it made its Slovenian debut at the Ljubljana Festival. Chief conductor and artistic director Yang Yang is one of the founding members of the orchestra, having previously served as chief conductor and artistic director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and of the China National Opera, where he still occupies this position. He has enjoyed ten highly successful concert seasons with the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.