Shanghai SymphonyOrchestra

Led by its renowned Music Director and Conductor Long Yu – hailed by The New York Times as an “über-maestro” and “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene” – Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is Asia’s oldest orchestra and a major force behind China’s classical music prestige over three centuries.

Exclusive to the AAF leg of the tour, the Orchestra will perform not once but twice in Tāmaki Makaurau. Selections from Elliot Leung’s luscious Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours – a vibrant ten-movement centrepiece inspired by signature Chinese dishes – will feature both nights and be a symphony to savour.

Founded in 1879, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is widely recognised for its performance on the Grammy and Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack (Best Original Score, 2001 Academy Awards). It has toured to the likes of Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall and Edinburgh International Festival.

The 2026 tour to Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and Singapore highlights works by two of China’s most prominent contemporary composers: Elliot Leung, the youngest-ever recipient of the 2023 Huabiao Award for Outstanding Composer; and Qigang Chen, praised by The Guardian for achieving a “sustained dialogue between Chinese and Western classical and cultural traditions.” These are presented alongside classical works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Celebrated soloists Jian Wang (cello) and Serena Wang (piano), who makes her Australasian debut, headline the programme.