Hong Kong — On September 30th, Chinese conductor Yu Long, renowned for his leadership in fostering cultural understanding through music, visited the China-United States Exchange Foundation, where he met with CUSEF President James Chau to discuss the compelling power of music to transcend cultural boundaries and unite communities.
Hailed by The New York Times as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene,” Maestro Yu currently holds the top position in China’s most prominent orchestras—Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing and Music Director of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra—as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also co-director of Shanghai’s Music in the Summer Air (MISA) festival and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival (BMF).
During their meeting, they shared insights into the upcoming 28th BMF. Maestro Yu will open the Festival on October 10th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance featuring pianist Haochen Zhang. On October 11th, CUSEF and BMF will co-host a special event, “U.S.-China Art Dialogue: Future Tradition,” at the Beijing Comedy Theater, celebrating the world premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun.
CUSEF President James Chau said: “Music is a universal language that transcends borders. Maestro Yu Long’s work with the Beijing Music Festival not only celebrates artistic excellence but also strengthens the bridges of understanding between people. We are honoured to support dialogues that bring our communities closer together.”
Yu Long’s lifelong commitment to connecting the people of China and the U.S. through classical music is exemplified by his selection as a 2002 Young Leaders Forum Fellow at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. More recently, in 2024, he conducted the world premiere of "Émigré" with the New York Philharmonic, an orchestral work honoring the story of the approximately 20,000 Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who found sanctuary in Shanghai during World War II.
On November 17, 2025, CUSEF will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II by bringing together international leaders at the 6th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum, its flagship annual event. This year’s Forum will address emerging risks and challenges in the U.S.-China relationship, including artificial intelligence, geopolitics, and people-to-people relations, and include in-depth discussions on cultural and scholarly exchanges.
