Ludovic Morlot is a bright star among a new generation of international conductors, serving as the principal conductor of the Seattle Symphony and a frequent guest conductor of the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. As conductor of the Seattle Symphony, Morlot won the 2016 GRAMMY Award for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” for conducting Augustin Hadelich in Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto. Prior to his tenure at the Seattle Symphony, Morlot served as the conductor-in-residence at the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL) under David Robertson from 2002 to 2004 where he led ONL’s two youth orchestras. Beyond his duties at the Seattle Symphony, Morlot is also the chair of orchestral conducting studies at the University of Washington.

Yuja Wang is one of the world’s most sought-after pianists and was named Musical America’s 2017 Artist of the Year. Born in Beijing, Wang started playing the piano at the age of six and, only one year later, began studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 2001, she was named a Steinway Artist and in 2002, she began studying with Gary Graffman at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Among her many other accolades are the 2006 Gilmore Young Artist Award, the 2009 Gramophone Classic FM’s Young Artist of the Year Award, and the 2011 ECHO KLASSIK Young Artist of the Year Award. Her impeccable technique, intelligent musical interpretations, and indelible star power make Yuja Wang an inspiration to young musicians around the world.

A Steinway Artist, Russian-American pianist Olga Kern is recognized as one of her generation's great pianists. The First Prize winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at seventeen years old, Kern is a laureate of many international competitions. She kicked off her US career with her historic Gold Medal win at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas as the first woman to do so in more than thirty years. Kern's discography includes her GRAMMY-nominated recording of Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations and other transcriptions (2004), Brahms Variations (2007), and Chopin Piano Sonatas No. 2 and 3 (2010). In 2016, she served as Jury Chairman of the Seventh Van Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition.

NYO-China gave its international debut at Carnegie Hall on the evening of July 22, 2017 under the baton of Maestro Morlot and featuring internationally acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang. The 2804-seat Stern Auditorium was fully sold out, and the performance was broadcast live to audiences worldwide via medici.tv. In attendance were Carnegie Hall’s own NYO-USA, which gave its own debut the previous evening, and NYO-China’s own Teaching Artists, all of whom were eager to see how their students would perform on the big stage. They had little cause for concern: the New York Times would comment that “if [tonight]’s performance was a test run for this new venture, these Chinese musicians scored big.

After spending a day exploring New York City, the orchestra continued on to Beijing, where it was joined by Van Cliburn Gold Medal winner Olga Kern for a performance in the Beijing Concert Hall. The orchestra was honored to be introduced in Beijing by acclaimed composer Ye Xiaogang, who also arranged the orchestra's encore piece, Thunder in a Drought.

The next stop on tour brought the orchestra to the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, where it performed to an audience of over 2000 concert-goers, including many friends and family. The China Culture and Education Review would comment that ‘these students are heroes -- for China, and for classical music around the world.’

NYO-China concluded its tour in Suzhou, where it performed in the city’s recently completed Culture and Arts Center. The performance was an emotional one for the orchestra’s students, as it brought to a close a deeply meaningful three weeks. After the last encore, students said their farewells and returned to their home cities with lifelong memories and a new company of friends.

NYO-China’s students participated in an intensive set of rehearsals under the direction of Seattle Symphony Music Director Ludovic Morlot and NYO-China’s suite of distinguished Teaching Artists. These included full orchestral rehearsals, sectional rehearsals, private lessons, and a variety of workshops hosted by guest speakers such as Juilliard’s Alexander Technique Instructor Lori Schiff and improvisation expert Eugene Friesen. In their spare time, many students also formed small chamber ensembles to rehearse one or more of the great works from the chamber music repertoire.

Midway through their residency, NYO-China’s students visited the campus of Yale University and its School of Music for a day of exploration and enjoyment. Several of NYO-China’s chamber ensembles also performed their chosen work in Sprague Hall at the School of Music, in a concert which was live-streamed around the world.

On July 16, NYO-China joined Carnegie Hall’s NYO-USA for an afternoon of cultural exchange and music-making at the State University of New York at Purchase. After a barbeque and a friendly game of ping-pong, the two orchestras rehearsed side-by-side under the direction of Maestro Morlot and NYO-USA Orchestra Director James Ross.

NYO-China was featured on NPR’s From the Top with Christopher O’Riley in its own dedicated show. Maestro Morlot led the orchestra in performances of The Rhyme of Taigu and the New World Symphony, and several of NYO-China’s students performed solo works and shared their experiences growing up as a musician in China.