Fifty years ago, musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra boarded a Pan Am jet bound for China—and history.
Arriving in Beijing on Sept. 12, 1973, Conductor Eugene Ormandy and his musicians became the first American orchestra to perform in China. President Nixon had personally invited Ormandy to make the trip as part of his geopolitical goal of renewing relations between the two superpowers after 24 years of isolation.
Jennifer Lin, a Doylestown filmmaker and author, chronicles this journey in her documentary, “Beethoven in Beijing,” and a companion book by the same name.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary, History Making Productions will present a community screening of the film on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Michael A. Nutter Theatre in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Admission is free by registering at https://bit.ly/BeethovenTicket.
“This is a chapter of Philadelphia history—and an important moment in U.S.-China relations—that not many people know,” Lin said. “It was an example of ‘music diplomacy’ to change the perception of Americans among the Chinese public. Both sides wanted to normalize relations and musical and cultural exchanges like this tour helped the process along.”
Beethoven in Beijing premiered on national television on PBS’s “Great Performances” in April 2021. The documentary received funding from the National Endowment for Humanities and was a 2020 finalist for the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns prize for film.
Lin, a former China correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer, logged more than 60,000 miles to make the film. She produced it with Sam Katz of History Making Productions, and co-directed the film with Sharon Mullally. Lin traveled four times to China: three times with the Philadelphia Orchestra and once with a quartet from the Curtis Institute of Music.
“When watching the film or reading my book, it’s important to remember that in 1973, China was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution. Western classical music was banned,” she said. “Only a limited number of revolutionary works could be performed by Chinese orchestras.”
In 1973, China was isolated and still reeling from the chaos of Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, which started in 1966. Because the orchestra’s visit was part of a larger diplomatic effort, the ban on performances of classical music was lifted if only for a moment, but the memory and excitement surrounding the tour became everlasting.
Lin said her cousin in Shanghai, who was a pianist, attended one of the six concerts and recalled the music as “heavenly.”
She added that working in China and traveling with the film crew, she has been impressed by the heartfelt nostalgia people hold for the Philadelphia Orchestra. “I recently met a musician who immigrated from Beijing and now lives in Roxborough who wanted so much to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra that she snuck into a concert—only to be discovered and thrown out by an usher,” Lin said.
When Mao died in 1976, the ban on Western culture ended and China experienced a robust revival of interest in classical music. “Today, every major orchestra in the world includes Beijing and Shanghai on its touring schedule,” Lin said. “The Philadelphia Orchestra is so popular that I’ve seen scalpers on the sidewalk in Shanghai selling concert tickets.”
At the Sept. 7 screening, Sam Katz, founder of HMP, will interview Lin and musicians who were part of the 1973 tour, including percussionist Anthony Orlando and violinist Booker Rowe.
“That tour was the beginning of unparalleled cultural exchange between musicians in Philadelphia and China,” Lin says. “Our documentary celebrates an important chapter in Philadelphia’s history as well as the strong cultural ties that bind American and Chinese musicians.”
For more information, visit www.beethoveninbeijing.com and register at https://bit.ly/BeethovenTicket.
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