Music concerts to perform Tang poetry in the US

Poetry from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) is the glory of traditional Chinese culture and they will be performed in songs in two upcoming concerts.

The concerts, one in Philadelphia on Jan 6, 2023 and the other in New York on Jan 7, will be performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra with artists from international young singers art festival iSING! Suzhou under the baton of Liao Guomin, former assistant conductor of the orchestra.

The artists include two Grammy Award winners and a Broadway musical lead.

Both events will feature a series of newly composed songs based on poems from well-known poets from the Tang Dynasty, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Zhang Ji.

As a part of 2023 Happy Chinese New Year celebrations, the concerts are also dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in 1973.

Tian Haojiang, founder and artistic director of iSING! Suzhou, said that ancient poetry from the Tang Dynasty is a very precious treasure. Those exquisite words and beautiful meanings fill the spiritual needs, even today.

“What we have done is combine the ancient poems from more than a thousand years ago with modern music, so that the whole world can communicate and integrate with the inspiration of poetry and music,” he said.