Artists from the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra of Beijing, China perform at Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States on Nov. 24, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Artists from a leading Chinese symphony orchestra returned to New York on Friday night after a COVID-induced hiatus and won the hearts of over a thousand audience members with their world premiere compositions.

Conducted by Lin Chen, the performance marks the return of the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra (CCOM Symphony Orchestra) of Beijing, China, to Carnegie Hall following its previous performance at the prestigious venue in 2019.

Full of Chinese cultural elements, these pieces combined traditional Chinese instruments with a symphony orchestra setting, and Chinese musical elements with Western techniques of composition.

The guzheng, bamboo flute and harp were featured in the performance with several pieces based on Chinese poems and the traditional Chinese philosophical work Tao Te Ching.

The two-hour-plus performance on the night of "Black Friday" attracted over one thousand people from various walks of life.

The performance took place at a very opportune time -- the American Thanksgiving holiday and the recent meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents in San Francisco, said Qin Wenchen, vice president of CCOM and a renowned composer.

"We have anticipated this performance for a long time as we didn't make it during the pandemic. We're fully prepared and only present premieres this time," Qin told Xinhua.

"It's amazing, very beautiful. I like the last one most, it brings out my Chinese soul," said Dionisio Cimarelli, adjunct sculpture professor at NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology, as he referred to "East West III: Tao for All" which was inspired by the Tao Te Ching.

"Music has no barriers and helps build bridges of understanding between the United States and China," he told Xinhua.

Cimarelli, who lived and worked in China for many years, called for more understanding and more collaboration. "We need to know each other and to work together to make a better world," he said.

Qin said the prospects of exchanges in art, culture and other fields between the United States and China are very broad.

"Every piece was amazing," said a social worker in New York who called herself Georgette. "You could feel the emotion, the sadness and the happiness. Everything portrayed in each piece came out amazing."

As a frequent concertgoer, Georgette also spoke highly of the blend of Chinese culture and Western instruments, noting that she visited Beijing a few years ago and wanted to learn more about China.

"We watch a lot of international concerts here. This is really one of the best. The instruments, the sounds and presentation," said Georgette's cousin Leone, who is a doctor in New York.

"That just takes my breath away. I've never heard anything like it and I never saw that instrument that they were using," said Julie Hill, a tourist in New York.

It was a global symphony because there were instruments from Europe, China and other places, said Xavier Sapp Cobham, a teenager from Brooklyn. "That's a really good combination of all of them."

"The symphony was just absolutely amazing. The vocalist was amazing, spectacular," Cobham said. "I will come back here again and make sure I bring all my studio's friends."

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