Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform its inaugural Lunar New Year Concert on Friday, Jan. 13, at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
Yue Bao, assistant conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, will lead the orchestra in a concert that will feature the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, and Li Huanzhi.
Stella Chen, winner of the Queen Elisabeth International competition, and international opera star Hera Hyesang Park will perform works by celebrated composers as well.
The Lunar New Year Concert marks the start of a new tradition and the expansion of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders programming with the BSO.
For pre-concert events the Meyerhoff lobby will be filled with traditional performances including a hand drum; Korean Han Pan, a stick drum; Korean Steppingstone Nanta; and a Chinese women’s fashion show with Peking Opera music.
Attendees can enjoy other activities such as Chinese paper cutting, a traditional Korean costume display, a Chinese instrument display, petting zoo, and Chinese and Korean calligraphy.
After the concert the festivities continue while students from the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, Howard County Gifted, and Talented Youth Orchestra, and Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra come together to perform traditional Korean and Chinese music, featuring violinist Stella Chen.
“For many people in our community, Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year, and we’re so thrilled to host a celebration of such cultural significance,” Baltimore Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Mark C. Hanson said in a statement. “This year, our concert will feature Chinese and Korean artists and composers in performances that not only honor heritage and tradition, but also evoke a spirit of connectivity through music. The BSO’s Lunar New Year Concert is one of many initiatives intended to make the Meyerhoff ‘A Hall for All’ and is particularly meaningful as a celebration spearheaded by Asian-American members within our own Orchestra.”
