Combining jazz and Negro folk music into symphony and creating symphonies with the style of jazz music is a remarkable feature of music in the 20th century. American composer George Gershwin was the pioneer and set an example of this brand new style of music.

By combining popular music into elegant music like symphony, Gershwin not only made great success in art form, but also formed his unique feature in art style and content. Besides, his important contribution in music was his creation of Broadway musicals and operas, which showed the simple emotion and true life of the masses. Gershwin was the founder of American folk music, and created the distinct style of American music with special value in the new century.

Three of his masterpieces will be shown to the spectators in this concert, from which we can appreciate the simple and passionate feelings and colorful artistic style of American folk music.

Conductor: Hu Yongyan
Hu Yonyyan is a famous Chinese-American conductor in the world, and has given performances in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vienna, London, Paris, Munich, Geneva, etc. He once served as Music Director and Conductor at Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota and at Lincoln Symphony Orchestra in Nebraska. Besides, he once served as a guest conductor at some famous symphony orchestras such as National Symphony Orchestra, France, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, UK, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and China National Symphony Orchestra. In the early 1990s, he led Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and China National Symphony Orchestra to visit many countries and regions such as Switzerland, Germany, Italy, ROK, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. Since 2000, Mr. Hu was appointed as Music Director and Conductor of Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra signed with Shanghai Grand Theatre.                                                                      

Pianist: Zou Xiang
As an important figure among the young pianists in China, Zou Xiang has succeeded in holding concerts at many famous music festivals or in concert halls in North America, Europe and Asia, winning wide acclaim in world musical circles. So far he is the youngest winner of Honens International Piano Competition. He was once praised as "a young pianist with great talent and potential" by the Globe and Mail in Canada, and the New York Sun said that his performance had "an ingenious skill".

In 1999, aided by the full scholarship, Zou Xiang entered The Juilliard School in USA for further study. Besides, he gained other kinds of scholarship such as Van Cliburn scholarship and Vladimir Horowitz scholarship. He has won many prizes such as the first prize of Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition awarded by The Juilliard School, the first prize of Whiteman Piano Competition, the golden medal of Canada Music Bridge / Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Competition, champion of Hong Kong Piano Open Competition, the second prize of the "Pearl Cup" All China Youngsters Piano Competition and the winning prize of National Concerto Competition.

In the past few years, Zou has devoted himself to promoting Eastern and Western modern music. He has firstly performed musical works of famous musicians including Lewis Spratlan (the winner of Pulitzer Prize for Music), Chen Yi, Ye Xiaogang, Tang Jianping, Li Peiming, Jin Xiang, Huang Ruo, etc.

Baritone: Feng Guodong
Feng Guodong was taught by Prof. Guo Shuzhen, a famous soprano and vocal music educator and Prof. Hu Shixi, a famous musical director. He was chosen and sent to Italy to study at the international vocal music master class in 2001, and won the second prize at the 3rd Chinese Songs Competition and the Best Singer Award at the Competition of Excellent Songs for the Recent Twenty Years organized by China Central Conservatory of Music in the same year. He was cited as one of "Golden Horn Cup" Top Ten Singers and won The Best New Singer Award in 2002, the third prize of New Singers and New Works Competition organized by the Ministry of Culture in 2003, the Best Singing Award of "New Century Cup" Chinese Songs Competition in 2004 and 2005, and the second prize of the 4th China International Vocal Music Competition in 2008. Besides, in 2003 he joined in the premiere of operas The Banquet and A Madman's Diary in China, and in 2005 he was admitted to Bel Canto Masterclass held by the famous tenor and graduated with distinction.   

Soprano: Ke Lüwa
Ke Lüwa was taught by Prof. Guo Shuzhen, a famous soprano and vocal music educator and Prof. Zhao Bixuan, a famous musical director. She was chosen and sent to Italy to study at the international vocal music master class. In recent years, she participated in many important performances including the world premiere of symphony Butterflies Lingering over Flowers conducted by Chen Qigang in France and the performances in Shanghai International Music Festival and Beijing International Music Festival as well. In 2005 she was admitted to Bel Canto Masterclass held by the famous tenor and graduated with distinction. She has won many kinds of prizes for music such as the silver medal of "Red Hawk Cup" National Music Competition for New Singers and New Works (2003), the first prize of "Madame Butterfly" International Contours in Japan （2006）and the first prize of the 4th China International Vocal Music Competition (2008).

"Love Journey" Chorus
"Love Journey" is a young chorus attached to Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Co., Ltd. This chorus is good at performing passages of operas, classic songs and popular songs, episode of film or TV play and musicals famous at home and abroad with the performing forms of ensemble, male-female and combined sound, etc. It did really well in famous Chinese and foreign operas such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Sister Jiang, Sun Tzu, etc. This chorus has performed jointly with some famous conductors such as Tang Muhai, Zheng Xiaoying, Cao Ding, etc., moreover, it has got many chances to hold concerts together with Shanghai Opera House Chorus, and has been highly praised by the experts in musical circles.

Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra
Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra has jointly performed with many famous Chinese or foreign musicians such as Josep Carreras, Yin Chengzong, Ulrich Nikolaye, Henry Passrike, Sheng Zhongguo, Xue Wei, Lü Siqing, Lang Lang, etc. It has taken part in many important musical activities such as the 1st China National Opera Exchange Performance, the 3rd and the 5th China Art Festival, Shanghai Symphony Art Festival, the opening ceremony of Golden Bell Prize for China's Music and "the Township of Erhu" National Music Festival, "Spring of Shanghai" International Festival, the first Spring of Chinese Symphony, and been broadcasted by many TV stations. In recent years, it has been invited to give visiting performances in DPRK, Austria, Germany, UK, Turkey, Japan, ROK and other countries. For years the orchestra has devoted itself to exchange performances or joint concerts with bands from Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway and with symphony orchestras from Japan, ROK, Hong Kong and Taiwan, making great contribution to exchanging music with, popularizing and introducing Chinese symphony works to the outside world.

Programs
George Gershwin
An American in Paris 

George Gershwin
Piano Concerto in F Major

George Gershwin
Opera: Porgy & Bess