Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO)




Founded in 1982 at the dawn of China's reform and opening-up, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) has grown alongside the city that gave it life. Its artistic philosophy rests on two core commitments: the relentless pursuit of excellence, and a genuine dedication to serving the public - driven equally by performance and new creation.

Over more than four decades of hard work and artistic ambition, the SZSO has established itself as a formidable presence both at home and abroad, widely recognised as one of China’s finest professional orchestras. Its current Music Director is the acclaimed conductor LIN Daye.

Since 1987, the orchestra has toured annually across China including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and has performed on four continents: in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, India, Romania, South Africa and Japan. It has become, in every sense, a shining cultural ambassador for the city of Shenzhen.

From 1994 onwards, the SZSO has been invited to numerous prestigious festivals and musical events worldwide, among them the Fourth China Art Festival, the Third China International Piano Competition, the opening ceremony of the First World Buddhist Forum, the China International Chorus Festival, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, the NCPA Arts Festival in Beijing, the Istanbul Music Festival in Turkey, the Mittefest and Ravello Wagner Festival in Italy, the Caserta Charity Music Festival, the Bellini Festival in Sicily, the Dinard Music Festival in France, and the International Radio Festival of Romania - each appearance met with resounding success.

SZSO places special emphasis on the creation and promotion of Chinese symphonic music, telling Chinese stories through the orchestral idiom. Its commissioned works including Symphonic Overture for a New Era, Ode to Heroes, My Motherland, Ode to Humanity, Harmony of the Divine Land, Symphonic Folk Songs: New Hakka Rhythms, and co-commissioned works such as ising Sun in the East, The Light of Mind and A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains have earned widespread acclaim from critics, audiences and the media alike.

Looking ahead, SZSO continue to scale new heights in the symphonic art, celebrating the richness of Chinese civilisation and advancing the finest cultural voices of our time, making its due contribution to the cultural development of Shenzhen and the wider Greater Bay Area.