深圳交响乐团

SHOSTAKOVICH& RACHMANINOFF

2026/1/30

FRI

20:00

Shenzhen Concert Hall

Sergey SMBATYAN,Conductor

Zhi-Jong WANG,Violin

Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 2 in c-sharp minor, Op. 129

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in e minor,Op. 27

(Please check program updates at the concert.)

Sergey SMBATYAN, conductor

Sergey Smbatyan is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. An avid popularizer of classical music, the conductor has an extensive international engagement, and is committed to rejuvenating the classical music audiences and the promotion of contemporary classical music globally.

Born into a family of musicians, Sergey Smbatyan took his first steps in the world of classical music under the guidance of his grandmother Tatyana Hayrapetyan, a distinguished violin teacher, followed by his education at Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan and Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Subsequently, in 2012, he furthered his academic journey at the Royal Academy of Music, studying under Sir Colin Davis. His studies under the guidance of Riccardo Muti and Valery Gergiev significantly influenced and enhanced his proficiency in conducting.

Sergey Smbatyan's conducting career was highlighted by his debut performance with the London Symphony Orchestra at Windsor Castle, under the auspices of Prince Charles, now HRH Charles III. The impressive success of this concert led to a subsequent invitation, where he conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra at Buckingham Palace.

Sergey Smbatyan's extensive international involvement as a conductor and his distinctive appreciation for contemporary classical music has led to a wide array of collaborations with globally acclaimed composers, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Tigran Mansuryan, Arvo P rt, Gia Kancheli, and many others. Among such notable endeavors were the large-scale projects conducted with John Malkovich in several countries of Latin America and Asia. Led by Sergey Smbatyan and accompanied by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the iconic Hollywood artist delivered a unique musical performance in Yerevan, presenting a reading of excerpts from “The Book of Lamentations” by the medieval Armenian poet Grigor Narekatsi.

The conductor serves as the artistic director of a number of annual music festivals, as well as the Khachaturian International Competition, to which the category of conducting was introduced through Sergey Smbatyan's initiative. Among the festivals founded by Sergey Smbatyan are the Khachaturian International Festival, which aims to uphold the legacy of Aram Khachaturian and other famous Armenian composers, the "Armenia" International Music Festival, which hosts world-renowned virtuoso musicians to perform in Armenia, the Penderecki Contemporary Music Festival, which showcases the works of contemporary legendary composers, and others.

Sergey Smbatyan is the founder of the "Music for Future Foundation (M4FF)”, which is committed to discovering young talented musicians and fostering their career advancement.

He strives to champion innovative approaches in the classical music industry, consistently seeking creative ideas and solutions in implementing various projects. During the opening ceremony of "WCIT 2019," the largest IT Congress for innovators and entrepreneurs, hosted in Armenia, an international orchestra performed an AI real-time-composed musical piece under the direction of Sergey Smbatyan.

Sergey Smbatyan releases recordings with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra on their own "ArmSymphony Records" label and is actively involved in recording contemporary classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras. His recent engagements include the album of spiritual music "Ave Maria" recorded with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the world-renowned tenor Joseph Calleja, released under the "DECCA Records" label, the album “Aznavouriana” by Deutsche Grammophon with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and cellist Camille Thomas in commemoration of French-Armenian singer and composer Charles Aznavour’s 100th anniversary.

In recent concert seasons, Sergey Smbatyan has served as a guest conductor with leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others.

As the conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergey Smbatyan embarked on numerous concert tours and performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Munich’s Gasteig , Vienna’s Musikverein, the Berliner Philharmonie, and other renowned concert halls.

In 2023, he led the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra on a grand UK tour, dedicated to Aram Khachaturian’s 120th anniversary and in 2024 on the orchestra’s debut tour in the United States with the performances at Boston’s Symphony Hall, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, and Los Angeles Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Highlights of 2024/25 season include concerts with the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra, the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra as well as performances at Salle Gaveau and the Cité de la Musique of the Paris Philharmonie with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra featuring French and Armenian composers.

Sergey Smbatyan holds the title of Honoured Artist of the Republic of Armenia and the title of “Chevalier of Arts and Letters” of France.

Sergey Smbatyan was appointed as a UNICEF National Ambassador in 2023.

Zhi-Jong WANG, violin

Zhi-Jong Wang made her solo debut at the age of 14 with Orchestre national de Lille under Sir Yehudi Menuhin in France, since then she has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, including Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Turku Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorcheser Berlin, Berliner Symphoniker (in Berlin Philharmonie), Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Century Symphony, NHK Symphony, as well as orchestras from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, etc.. She collaborates with musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin, Yuri Temirkanov, Myung-Whun Chung, Gidon Kremer, Lynn Harrel, Matthias Bamert, Okko Kamu, John Storg rds, Lior Shambadal, Christian Arming, Muhai Tang, Xieyang Chen, Jia Lü, Guoyong Zhang, Yang Yang, Yi Zhang, Daye Lin, etc. At the invitation of Maestro Claudio Abbado, Zhi-Jong joined Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Zhi-Jong is the first ever Chinese musician to appear in solo recital in Lucerne Festival.

As well as performing the standard violin repertoire, Zhi-Jong is a passionate exponent of contemporary music, performing works by Gubaidulina, Lutoslawski, Schnittke, Ligeti, etc. In the recent seasons, she premiered Ana Sokolovic’s Commedia dell'arte III and Nikolai Badinski’s Violin Concerto No.2.

Following her first concert leading the orchestra from the violin with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.5 at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, ‘play-conducting’ has attracted Zhi-Jong’s interest and in recent seasons she has played/conducted Vivaldi/Piazzolla’s Four Seasons and several of the Mozart concerto.

In 2020, Zhi-Jong established Ensemble Epoch，toured in many China cities, and was high praised. As its artistic director, Zhi-Jong develops artistic plan. On stage, she is soloist and conductor. Ensemble Epoch brings music to a broader space, hoping to interpret the music of various eras in non-traditional forms and diverse combinations, and constantly explore the possibility of ensemble art.

Zhi-Jong is the laureate of many important competitions beginning with First Prize in the 1998 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition. In the same year, she also won the First Prize of the China National Violin Competition, where she was the youngest first prize winner ever. In the following years Zhi-Jong Wang has distinguished herself receiving prizes in the Sibelius Violin Competition, Lipizer Violin Competition, Tchaikovsky Competition, etc.

Her CD is released by Accentus Music. Sibelius and Stravinsky violin concertos with Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Thomas Sanderling was nominated by ICMA. Her second album features Chinese violin concertos, including Zhanhao He, Gang Chen “Butterfly Lovers” and Ye Shen “Violin Concerto”, collaborated with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Yang Yang. Zhi-Jong and Ensemble Epoch will appear in the forthcoming release.

Zhi-Jong has studied at Shanghai Conservatory of Music with the renowned Chinese violinist Professor Lina Yu. Afterwards, she studied with Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, where she also worked as Professor Blacher’s assistant.

She is currently professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and deputy director of Orchestral Instruments Department.

SHENZHEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (SZSO)

The Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) was founded in 1982 during a transformative period in China, characterized by reform and opening up. Over the ensuing decades, the SZSO has ascended to prominence, becoming one of China’s outstanding symphony orchestras. The guiding philosophy of "first-class pursuit, public service, and dual focus on performance and creation" has been instrumental in its success.

Under the leadership of the music director and principal conductor Lin Daye, the SZSO has earned widespread recognition both domestically and internationally.

1987, the orchestra has embarked on annual tours, performing across China and internationally in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The SZSO has graced stages in numerous countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, India, Romania, and South Africa. These performances have solidified its status as a cultural ambassador for Shenzhen.

The SZSO’s influence extends to major local and international festivals. Since 1994, it has participated in prestigious events such as the China Art Festival, the China-International Piano Concerto Competition, the World Buddhist Forum, and the Beijing Modern Music Festival. Its international acclaim is reflected in successful appearances at the Istanbul Music Festival, Italy Mittelfest, the Ravello Wagner Music Festival, the French Dinard Music Festival, and the Romanian International Radio Music Festival, among others.

A cornerstone of the SZSO's mission is the commissioning and promotion of national symphonic works. Through symphonic music, the orchestra tells the rich and diverse stories of China. Notable commissioned works include New Era Symphonic Overtures, Ode to Heroes, My Motherland, Ode to Humanity, Harmony of the Divine Land, and Symphonic Folksongs, Hakka Rhyme. Co-commissioned works such as Rising Sun in the East, The Light of Mind and A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains have also received high praise from industry experts, audiences, and the media.

Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra remains committed to the advancement of symphonic art, the promotion of Chinese culture, and the enrichment of the cultural landscape in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area. Through its continued dedication, the SZSO aims to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

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