South Shore Orchestra Heads to China

Valparaiso University’s Confucius Institute will continue building artistic and cultural exchanges between the United States and China during the holiday season as it leads the South Shore Orchestra on a tour through several Chinese cities 26 December through 5 January.

Valpo violinist and music professor Dr. Gregory Maytan will join the orchestra as a featured soloist during its tour, which includes seven performances in music venues renowned throughout China. Leading the tour are Jianyun Meng, a Chinese instructor and director of Valpo’s Confucius Institute, and Jiangang Liu, associate director of the institute.

More than 70 musicians from the South Shore Orchestra will participate in the tour, which will include performances in Beijing and Zhejiang Province, Indiana’s sister province. The orchestra will perform a combination of Chinese and American music during its tour. Dr. Maytan, who has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe, will be featured on pieces including “The Butterfly Lovers” violin concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang during the upcoming tour.

Valpo is the first faith-based university in the United States to host a Confucius Institute, a non-profit institute established and funded by the Chinese government to promote cultural, business, educational, artistic and government exchanges.

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