CHINA NCPA ORCHESTRA

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CHINA NCPA ORCHESTRA is the resident orchestra of the China National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Lü Jia has become the Music Director in 2017.

CHINA NCPA ORCHESTRA is the resident orchestra of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), China. Established in March 2010, the orchestra consists of highly accomplished musicians from around the world, who perform in more than a dozen opera productions presented by its home venue each year as well as in ballets and regular orchestral concerts in its own season. With a notably busy sch

edule, the young ensemble has fast established itself as one of the most adventurous and dynamic orchestras in the country. Lü Jia took up the post of Chief Conductor in February 2011, succeeding Chen Zuohuang, the current Conductor Laureate, NCPA's Music Director, and also one of the founders of the orchestra. In March 2022, SUN Yifan and LAI Jiajing have been appointed as Assistant Counductors.

15/07/2026

A moment when centuries of sound met on one stage. ✨

On July 10 & 11, NCPAO brought together artists from around the world for two sold-out performances.

The world premiere of Jukka Tiensuu’s Sheng and Organ Concerto united the timeless voice of the sheng with the majestic resonance of the organ, creating a dialogue between two distinct traditions.

The program continued with Mahler’s orchestration of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, offering a fresh perspective on a timeless masterpiece.

Led by maestro Kahchun Wong Kahchun Wong , with sheng virtuoso Wu Wei and organist Sofija Grgur Sofija Grgur , the concerts celebrated music’s power to connect cultures and inspire new possibilities.

08/07/2026

With Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, a Busan reunion to remember!

NCPAO musicians returned to Busan Concert Hall 부산콘서트홀 공식인스타그램 for the third time, joining the hall’s 1st Anniversary Festival from July 2 to 12 as part of the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble bringing together outstanding Asian musicians from leading orchestras around the world.

Under Maestro Chung’s baton, the APO presented a spectacular series of concerts throughout the festival, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, and a concert version of Carmen.

Spot any familiar faces in the photos? 👀 Berlin Philharmonic Principal Horn and NCPAO Guest Principal Horn Zeng Yun Yun Zeng also joined this special lineup!

Were you there for the concerts? Share your favorite moments with us in the comments!

10/06/2026

Looking back on a joyful Children’s Day musical adventure.

On May 30, NCPAO under the baton of Lai Jiajing, joined hands with Per Poc Puppet Company in Petrushka, bringing music, puppetry, and imagination together on stage.

Here are some moments from that evening filled with wonder, where young music lovers met the symphonies through stories, colors, and playful surprises. A warm celebration of music, childhood, and the childlike heart in all of us.

01/06/2026

“I am truly delighted and very much looking forward to performing in Beijing for the first time, and to sharing, together with the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra, two pieces that are very close to my heart. This collaboration will feature two piano concertos — Tchaikovsky and Grieg — both among the most iconic works in the classical music. Although the worlds they portray are vastly different, both pieces are filled with profound and deeply rich emotions.

Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is not just a concerto. To me, it feels more like a ballet, a sequence of different dances unfolding scene by scene. One can almost sense the movement and shifting scenes in it. Tchaikovsky also brilliantly weaves together the colors and textures of the orchestra and piano, creating sounds that are both dazzling and full of surprise.

I spent several years living in Sweden, and it was during my time there that I truly came to understand the source and spirit of Grieg’s musical world. His music is filled with the distinctive sense of hope and simplicity found in Nordic culture, while also reflecting the landscapes of northern nature, especially those subtle shades of blue light. Each time I perform Grieg’s concerto, I deeply feel this Nordic atmosphere, and I hope to share that experience with the audience as well.”

27/05/2026

On May 15, under the baton of Music Director Lü Jia .conductor , the China NCPA Orchestra joined violinist Antje Weithaas and Ning Feng for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major — a work of luminous dialogue between violin, viola, and orchestra.

For Ning Feng, long celebrated as a violinist, the evening also marked a special milestone: his viola debut with NCPAO, performing alongside his mentor Antje Weithaas in a rare and intimate musical conversation.

20/05/2026

Moments from our concerts earlier this month with Principal Guest Conductor Xian Zhang and pianist Haochen Zhang at the NCPA.

The program featured Qigang Chen’s L’Éloignement and Er Huang, alongside Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, bringing together musical reflections on memory, distance, and home.

09/04/2026

On stage with NCPAO: pianist Liya Wang , winner of the 2025 ARD International Music Competition, made her NCPAO debut in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 under the baton of Lin Daye.

Also on the program was Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony in Mahler’s arrangement, a controversial yet illuminating reworking of Beethoven’s landmark score.

18/03/2026

Nine years later, cellist Gautier Capuçon returned to the NCPAO!

Under the baton of Music Director Lü Jia, Capuçon performed alongside violinist Sarah Jegou-Sageman in Saint-Saëns’ La Muse et le Poète, together with the Mainland China premiere of Richard Dubugnon’s Le Poème silencieux, co-commissioned by the NCPAO and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

In a delicate exchange between violin and cello, the music unfolded like a quiet conversation—intimate, lyrical, and deeply romantic.

04/03/2026

“This programme is built around the idea of musical dialogue — works presented in pairs that illuminate one another across time.
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 inspired Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks and both first movements in E-flat major. Lully and Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme later gave rise to Richard Strauss’s own theatrical and orchestral reimagining, complete with direct quotations. Schoenberg’s Concerto for String Quartet openly draws from Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7.
Placed side by side, these works allow us to hear transformation in real time and how ideas evolve, refract, and re-emerge in new musical languages.
The concert closes with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. Long associated with Pergolesi, it is now understood that many of its sources were only mistakenly attributed to him. The suite in fact draws from a range of Baroque composers — which makes Stravinsky’s reworking all the more fascinating. One day, I hope to programme the original sources alongside Pulcinella — you may be surprised how little he actually changed.
Grateful for the opportunity to collaborate for the first time with the musicians of NCPAO on March 8 and looking forward to sharing this dialogue with you.”

Yukuang Jin

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17/02/2026

Welcoming the Year of the Horse 🐎✨

As the new year unfolds, the China NCPA Orchestra extends its warmest wishes to audiences and friends around the world.

May the Year of the Horse bring strength, momentum, and boundless inspiration. Here’s to new journeys, new stages, and new symphonic stories in the year ahead.

Happy Lunar New Year！

Address

No. 2 West Chang'an Street
Beijing
100031

Telephone

+861066550521

Website

http://www.chncpa.org/ncpao/en

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