Shanghai Symphony and New York Philharmonic jointly commissions Oratorio on Jewish refugee musicians in WWII Shanghai

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra announces that Émigré, an oratorio jointly commissioned by the SSO and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, will have its world premiere in Shanghai in November 2023. On February 29 and March 1, 2024, Long Yu, SSO Music Director, will conduct the New York Philharmonic and an international cast to premiere the Oratorio in the U.S.

With music by award winning composer Aaron Zigman, lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Campbell and songwriter Brock Walsh, the production has taken over three years to complete. The 90-minute oratorio traces the steps of 20,000 Jewish refugees who fled the Nazis and landed in Shanghai, the only major city in the world during the period from 1937 to 1941 that required no visas or financial guarantees for Jews to enter. Among these refugees, who were mostly from Nazi Germany and Austria as well as Nazi occupied European territories, over 400 professional musicians came and made a living with their musical skills. Some of them joined the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra, the predecessor of today’s Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, while some others became faculty of the Shanghai Conservatory or taught students privately. They not only greatly enriched the cultural life of Shanghai, a metropolitan city with immigrants from all parts of the world, but left long lasting legacies that shaped China’s classical music today.

“My partners and I have put in three years of hard work, and now I’m so excited to present it to world audiences.” Maestro Long Yu says. “My biggest wish is to have Shanghai present a special gift to the world, a gift that pays tribute to this special history.”

Sources: (all images from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra)

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Wechat channel (in Chinese):

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/lFkt51urCrECXPKNtBHvWQ

New York Philharmonic Orchestra website:

https://nyphil.org/concerts-tickets/2324/zigman-emigre