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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.

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

cr. Theresa-Pewal

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！

16/02/2026

✨ When dance becomes a language, music connects the world.

On February 13 & 14, under the baton of Maestro Lü Jia, the NCPAO brought this year’s “Festival Waltz” to life—where waltz met ballet, where Faust shimmered in dreamlike motion, where The Three-Cornered Hat blazed with Spanish passion, and where Xinjiang’s “Mayila” danced hand in hand with the Italian Tarantella.

Strauss waltzes and polkas filled the hall with festive romance, while the program also paid tribute to Weber, Falla, and Respighi—celebrating music across cultures and centuries.

As we welcome the Year of the Horse 🐎, may the new year bring you harmony, inspiration, and beautiful encounters across every horizon.
Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧✨

11/02/2026

A night celebrating the cello’s journey to center stage. 🎻✨

Led by cellist Li-Wei Qin and Resident Conductor Lajing Lai, on January 31 and February 1, the NCPAO explored the cello’s evolution through works by C.P.E. Bach and Haydn, alongside modern favorites like Ravel’s Boléro, Piazzolla’s Libertango and Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, and Goltermann’s Serenade.

History, innovation, and pure musical beauty in one unforgettable evening.

30/01/2026

🎶 From Birdsong to Baroque

On January 17, Conductor Jing Huan led the NCPAO on a whirlwind journey through time!
Ju Xiaofu dazzled on both piano and harpsichord, from the whimsical birds of Ravel, Messiaen, and Hindemith to the sparkling brilliance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.

And after the bows, violinist Ning Feng popped in backstage for a peek at the magic—just a little behind-the-scenes sparkle!

29/01/2026

🎶 A musical journey exploring the infinite possibilities. The newly formed NCPAO Woodwind Quintet made its debut on January 9.

Featuring Xiang Yi (Co-Principal Flute) , Xu Huijing (Co-Principal Oboe) , Minna Lee (Co-Principal Clarinet) , Hsieh Sheng-Hsieh (Associate Principal Bassoon) , and Youngjong Koh (Principal Horn) , the ensemble shaped a richly layered sound world through precision, sensitivity, and shared imagination.

From the vibrant, French-inflected colors of Ibert,
to the warm nostalgia and classical clarity of Klughardt, and finally to Linkelmann’s Pictures at an Exhibition 🖼️— five instruments reimagined orchestral colors on an intimate chamber scale.

The sounds and images of that night still linger.

ColorsOfSound

28/01/2026

The two-year 8th Young Composer Programme of the NCPA wrapped up earlier this month, spotlighting concertos for traditional Chinese string instruments and orchestra — and giving young composers a beautiful platform to shine.

The final concert on January 9, conducted by Huang Yi and performed by the NCPAO alongside four young erhu soloists, was evaluated live by an international jury of eight distinguished composers and artistic leaders from China, France, Finland, and Russia — including Lü Jia, Qin Wenchen, Lin Daye, Éric Montalbetti, Magnus Lindberg, Pierre Chavagné, Stanislav Kochanovsky, and Pascal Rophé. Chief Judge Qigang Chen joined online, listening in real time and reviewing the scores.

Top honors went to Feng Zihui, Alatan Maoni, and Yu Zhongyuan. It’s inspiring to see so many young composers rising — and the NCPAO continues to champion new musical voices.

27/01/2026

🎂 Happy Birthday, Mozart — plus a little photo dump!

2026 marks the 270th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, and the NCPAO launched the Dimension of Mozart series in the 2025/26 season to honor his enduring legacy. On January 15–16, Music Director Lü Jia led the orchestra in an all-Mozart program featuring the two titled symphonies, Haffner and Jupiter.

The concerts also marked the debut of pianist , winner of the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 11. ✨🎶

20/01/2026

”It is my great honour to perform Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the China NCPA Orchestra and Maestro LÜ Jia for the audience in Beijing.

Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is a celebration of imagination and virtuosity—an unforgettable journey from dramatic intensity to lyrical beauty and sparkling joy, and a true highlight of the Romantic violin repertoire.

The concerto opens with a bold and dramatic orchestral introduction, setting a dark, almost operatic atmosphere. When the solo violin enters, it does so with commanding presence, weaving soaring melodies with explosive technical feats. This movement establishes Paganini not only as a virtuoso showman, but as a composer with a keen sense of drama and structure.

The slow movement reveals Paganini’s lyrical soul. Here, the violin sings with tender expressiveness, unfolding long, elegant phrases over a gentle orchestral accompaniment. The music is intimate and introspective, allowing the soloist to explore warmth of tone, delicate ornamentation, and emotional nuance.

The finale is one of the most famous movements in the violin repertoire. Inspired by the sound of little bells, La Campanella sparkles with playful charm and breathtaking difficulty. The recurring bell-like motif dances lightly through the orchestra as the violin dazzles with rapid leaps, harmonics, and astonishing agility. Brilliant, witty, and exhilarating, the movement builds to a triumphant conclusion that never fails to thrill audiences.

I feel deeply privileged to make my debut with this magnificent orchestra and to share this extraordinary work with the music lovers of Beijing.“

—Simon Zhu

Address

No. 2 West Chang'an Street
Beijing
100031

Telephone

+861066550521

Website

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

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