The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is one of the earliest-formed and best-known ensembles of its kind in Asia, playing a pivotal role in the development of Chinese symphonic music. Originally established as the Shanghai Public Band, it was renamed the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra in 1922. Under the baton of Italian conductor Mario Paci, the orchestra promoted Western music and trained young talent from its early days in China. It was the first to introduce Chinese orchestral music to audiences, earning recognition as "the best in the Far East."
With a long history of 146 years, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra represents the history of China's symphonic music development. Spanning three different centuries, the orchestra has embraced a new era and held over ten thousand concerts, giving premiere performances of several thousand musical works. It has played a major role in collaborations between world-class musicians on both international and domestic stages, gaining a reputation as the most authoritative interpreter of Chinese symphonic compositions while promoting them with every possible endeavor. The orchestra was the first in China to institute a Governing Council and to manage a high-quality concert season with a ticket pre-sale system. It created a series of musical products, including the Concert Season, the Shanghai New Year's Concert, the Spring Festival Concert, and Music in the Summer Air. These performances have fostered cultural exchange and built bridges between people, orchestras, and nations.
The orchestra pioneered co-commissioning works with world-leading orchestras from renowned composers. One Sweet Morning was co-commissioned by the orchestra and the New York Philharmonic from composer John Corigliano. Duowas co-commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra, and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra from Zhao Lin. Other commissioned works include Symphonic Overture Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin and La joie de la souffrance composed by Qigang Chen, Symphonic Suite Dunhuang composed by Xiaogang Ye, A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains by Zhao Lin, The Wheel of Time by Fay Kueen Wang, Symphonic Dances The Legend of Monkey King by Liu Sola, Wuxia - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Jin Yong and Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavors by Elliot Leung, and Concerto for Erhu and Orchestra Nine Odes by Zhou Long.
The orchestra has premiered the greatest number of contemporary Chinese works, including In Memoriam by Huang Tzu, ten symphonies by Zhu Jian'er, and The Map by Tan Dun. The original soundtrack to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, performed by the orchestra, won both an Oscar and a Grammy Award—a first in Chinese musical history. The Émigré, co-commissioned by Maestro Long Yu, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic, gave its world premiere in November 2023. The oratorio, composed by Aaron Zigman with lyrics by Mark Campbell and Brock Walsh, will receive further international performances by the New York Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchestra Berlin, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024 and 2025.
Since the 1970s, the orchestra has toured extensively abroad. In 1990, it made its debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2003, it performed in 11 cities in the United States, and in 2004, it toured Europe to celebrate the Sino-French Cultural Year. Its 125th Anniversary Celebration Concert at the Berliner Philharmonie (making it the first Chinese symphony orchestra to play in this hall) was hailed as a great success. In 2009, under the direction of Maestro Long Yu, now the Music Director, the orchestra embarked on a 12-concert North American tour. In July 2010, Long Yu led the orchestra in a joint concert with the New York Philharmonic in Central Park, New York, promoting the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Between 2012 and 2015, Long Yu conducted the orchestra in several concerts in Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Brazil, including the concert commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War in United Nations Hall. The orchestra made its debut in Lucerne and gave other concerts in Tirol, Grafenegg, and Hamburg during its European tour in summer 2017.
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Long Yu signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon in June 2018, and their fourth album was released in June 2024. The orchestra celebrated its 140th anniversary with a three-week world tour in summer 2019, during which it made debuts at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Wolf Trap Festival, and Ravinia Festival, in addition to return visits to Lucerne Festival, Grafenegg Festival, and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.
With Shanghai Symphony Hall officially opening in September 2014 (renamed Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall in 2021), the orchestra has carried centuries of dreams into reality and started a new orchestra-venue integration model. The Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA)—a joint initiative between the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music—held orientation for its students. The orchestra's chamber concerts, which started in 1984 and have been held regularly since 1991, continue in the new Chamber Hall. The 3rd Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition was successfully held at the venue.
Over the past 146 years, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has fulfilled its mission of "Music Connecting Worlds." Under the guidance of Shanghai's city spirit, Chinese culture, and international trends, it has become a promoter and cultivator of Eastern and Western cultural exchanges and Asian music education, continuing its glorious dream across three centuries.
