Suzhou'a second home'

During the outbreak, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra has staged online concerts and lectures featuring topics related to various aspects of music.

Founded in 2016, the city's first professional symphony orchestra comprises more than 70 musicians with an average age of 30. They come from China and 18 other countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Chu said the orchestra has postponed all its performances scheduled for February, March and April.

On March 21, its first online concert was staged at the orchestra's home, the Jinji Lake Concert Hall, featuring four Russian musicians－violinists Ekaterina Shapelnikov and Nikita Olinevich, violist Andrey Shapelnikov and cellist Daniil Zaitsev.

The performance included string quartets by Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.

"During the outbreak, the Russian musicians have stayed in Suzhou, which has become their second home," Chu said.

Olinevich, who has lived and worked in Suzhou for three years, said:"This was my first livestreaming concert, which was obviously different. But it's always interesting and encouraging to play in front of a live audience... there is a feeling of 'this is it', and you give it your all, including general rehearsals. Everything is supposed to be as it should be during an actual performance－the lights, the audience, the applause.

"These things are all beyond comparison. During this health crisis, we appreciate them even more. It is challenging, but exciting as well. In a very different way, we are trying to give audiences hope through our music, and show them that even if we can't play live for them right now, our hearts are still with the music, and we are committed to doing what we love and to our audiences.

"I believe music has the power to heal anything and help anyone, whatever the circumstances. It is one of the biggest forces on Earth, and knows no class or race, and makes no distinctions. It is for us all, and so we will play for everyone who is listening."

At the onset of the outbreak, Olinevich had to quarantine himself in Taiwan for 14 days before he could visit his family in Russia.

"Here in Suzhou, I was amazed by how quickly measures were taken to stop the virus spreading. But I definitely miss working－I can't wait to go back to rehearsals and for everything to return to normal," he said.

Since Feb 5, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, in addition to streaming concerts, has held online classes on its social media platforms. Footage shows the musicians practicing at home and teaching music to those learning to play an instrument.

On Jan 27, the orchestra, which celebrated its 140th anniversary last year, began livestreaming concerts, featuring individual musicians playing at home and chamber music ensembles performing in the concert hall while wearing face masks.

On March 14, an online concert performed by a string quartet from the orchestra attracted 900,000 viewers. The repertoire included Libertango by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla and String Quartets, Op. 54 by Haydn.

On March 26, five musicians from the orchestra performed an online concert marking Beethoven's 250th birthday, featuring works by the composer, including the first movement of his Fifth Violin Sonata and the fourth movement of his Eighth String Quartet.

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