Maestro Yu Long

Global Citizen Award

The preeminent Chinese conductor with an established international reputation, Maestro Yu Long is currently Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival and the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Shanghai and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras, the Codirector of MISA Shanghai Summer Festival, and he will serve as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra starting from the 2015/16 season.

Maestro Yu Long frequently conducts top-class orchestras around the world. He has appeared with a prestigious list of leading orchestras and many opera companies, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg State Opera, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig, NDR Sinfonieorchester, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In 2008, for the first time in history, the China Philharmonic Orchestra performed under the baton of Maestro Yu Long at the Vatican in the Paul VI Auditorium. The concert was attended by Pope Benedict XIV and marked a giant step in bringing eastern and western cultures closer together.

Maestro Yu Long’s career has included both artistic and administrative appointments. In 1992, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Central Opera Theatre in Beijing and was involved in the planning of the Chinese New Year’s Concert series later that year, serving as its conductor for three consecutive years. He created opera productions for The Urban Council of Hong Kong for five successive years. In 1998, he led the creation of the Beijing Music Festival and has been its Artistic Director ever since. Under his leadership, the Beijing Music Festival has come to be regarded as one of the world’s most important music festivals. In 2005, with the provincial government’s support, he built up the Canton International Summer Music Academy and became its Chairman for the following three years. He also established the MISA Shanghai Summer Music Festival in 2010 and later that year, the Canton Asian Music Festival.

Born in 1964 into a music family in Shanghai, Maestro Yu Long received his early musical education from his grandfather Ding Shande, a composer of great renown, and went on to study at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin. He was the recipient of the 2002 Arts Patronage Award of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation. He also has been awarded the Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2003 and the title of L’onorificenza di commendatore by President Berlusconi in 2005 for his outstanding contribution in the field of music and culture. In 2010, he received an Honorary Academician from the Central Conservatory of Beijing for his great dedication on cultural exchanging and music development in China. In December 2010, he was awarded People of the Year in Arts Field in China. In 2013, he was awarded the China Arts Award, China’s national level arts award. In December 2014, he was awarded France’s highest honor of merit by receiving Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur from the French government. Maestro Yu Long is currently Vice President of the Chinese Musicians Association and a member of the eleventh and twelfth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

余隆

余隆是活跃于国际乐坛的最杰出的中国指挥家。现任北京国际音乐节艺术总监和中国爱乐乐团艺术总监，上海交响乐团和广州交响乐团音乐总监，上海夏季音乐节的联合总监，并于2015/16乐季起出任香港管弦乐团首席客席指挥。

余隆与世界各地众多知名交响乐团和歌剧院有着广泛合作，他指挥过的乐团有纽约爱乐乐团、芝加哥交响乐团、费城交响乐团、洛杉矶爱乐乐团、蒙特利尔交响乐团、华盛顿国家交响乐团、辛辛那提交响乐团、巴黎管弦乐团、班贝格交响乐团、汉堡国家歌剧院、柏林广播交响乐团、莱比锡广播交响乐团、慕尼黑爱乐乐团、汉堡北德广播交响乐团、悉尼交响乐团、BBC交响乐团、香港管弦乐团、东京爱乐乐团和新加坡交响乐团等。2008年5月，余隆指挥中国爱乐乐团和上海歌剧院合唱团在梵蒂冈城保罗六世礼堂为教宗本笃十六世及八千余名听众演出了莫扎特的《安魂曲》，成为令全世界瞩目的重要文化盛事。

余隆的艺术生涯涵盖指挥和艺术管理领域。1992年，余隆担任中央歌剧院常任指挥。同年，他创办了中国的新年音乐会系列，并连续三年担任指挥，开启国内演出新年音乐会之先河。1993年起，余隆连续五年为香港市政局指挥歌剧演出。1998年，余隆发起创办了北京国际音乐节，担任艺术总监。在他的出色领导下，北京国际音乐节已跻身于全球最重要的音乐节之列。同时他于2005年创办CISMA广州国际音乐夏令营、2010年MISA上海夏季音乐节和广东亚洲音乐节，并担任其艺术总监。

余隆1964年出生于上海的音乐世家，自幼随外祖父、著名作曲家丁善德教授学习音乐。后求学于上海音乐学院和德国柏林高等艺术大学。鉴于余隆在推动当今世界古典音乐事业发展和促进国际间文化交流方面所做的突出贡献，2002年，德国万宝龙文化基金会向余隆颁发了年度”万宝龙卓越艺术成就奖”；2003年，法国政府特别授予余隆”法兰西文学艺术骑士勋章”；2005年，意大利政府向余隆颁发了”共和国骑士勋章”；2010中央音乐学院颁发的荣誉院士证书，表彰他对中国音乐的发展和对外文化交流做出的杰出贡献，这是国内艺术大学首次颁发”荣誉院士”称号，余隆成为我国艺术家中获此殊荣的第一人；当年12月又被授予”2010年年度中国文化人物”大奖。2013年，余隆获颁国家级学术机构主办的最高艺术大奖”中华艺文奖”。2014年12月，他获得象征着法国最高荣誉典属体系的荣誉军团骑士勋章。现余隆是第十一、十二届全国政协委员，并担任中国音乐家协会副主席职务。