The Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) will open its 15th-anniversary Greater Bay Area tour at Xinghai Concert Hall on July 24, 2026. It will be under the baton of Music Director Jing Huan and will feature violinist Zhang Aozhe, gold medalist at the 58th International Violin Competition Premio Paganini.
This concert also serves as the closing performance of the GSYO's 2025/2026 season, featuring works by Sibelius and classic excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
Founded in 2011, the GSYO is China's first non-professional youth symphony orchestra established and managed by a professional orchestra, and the first to have its own concert season. Its collaborating artists have included conductors Long Yu and Tan Dun; cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Jian Wang, and Li-wei Qin; pianists Zhang Haochen and Chen Sa; violinists Lü Siqing, Gao Can, and Chen Xi; pipa virtuoso Zhang Qiang; sheng performer Jia Lei; and guzheng player Su Chang, among others.
The orchestra has represented Guangzhou on multiple overseas tours in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In 2023, it became the first Chinese orchestra invited to perform at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, earning wide acclaim from audiences at home and abroad. Over the past fifteen years, the GSYO has shown through music that young musicians are just as capable of mastering the classics.
At the podium for this concert is Music Director Jing Huan, currently Permanent Conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the GSYO. Since assuming the role of GSYO Music Director in 2014, she has led the orchestra on multiple tours to Australia, Europe, and Asia, and guided the ensemble to become the first Chinese orchestra invited to perform at the Verbier Festival. In 2022, she was named one of the "Top Ten Young Conductors in China."
Jing Huan
The soloist for this concert, Zhang Aozhe, is a rising star in the classical music scene. Born in 2008, he is currently studying at the Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In October 2025, he won the gold medal at the 58th International Violin Competition Premio Paganini, becoming China's fifth Paganini Prize winner. He also received the prize for best performance of Paganini's Violin Concerto. The World Federation of International Music Competitions described his playing as technically flawless and naturally flowing, while Jury Chairman Uto Ughi praised him for demonstrating extraordinary talent through refined articulation.
Zhang Aozhe
In January 2026, Zhang Aozhe performed with the GSYO for the first time in works by Paganini and Kreisler. Six months later, they will join forces again to perform Sibelius' Violin Concerto, often hailed as the "Light of the Arctic."
Following the Xinghai Concert Hall performance, the GSYO will present the same programme at the Shenzhen Concert Hall on July 25, the Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre on July 26, and Dongguan Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center on July 28. On September 6, the GSYO will also share the stage with the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Macao Cultural Centre.
Date: July 24, 2026, 20:00
Venue: Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Ticket price: 150 yuan
Ticketing channel: Xinghai Concert Hall WeChat mini program
Text | Zhang Xuanzhen (intern), Liu Lingzhi
Photo | Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra
