The Orchestra Now Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary

As the finale of the ninth season of the China Now Music Festival, The Orchestra Now tells the story of the Chinese laborers who carved the Transcontinental Railroad out of the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s. Men of Iron and the Golden Spike is a large-scale symphonic oratorio by composer Zhou Long. It is a story of grit and sacrifice that history books have largely left out. This monumental work returns to the stage in New York City after its premiere during the 2019 China Now Music Festival and features a large orchestra, 120 choristers, and vocal soloists.

Paired with it is the US premiere of Chasing the Sky, a five-movement symphonic suite by Li Shaosheng that turns its gaze upward, tracing humanity’s dream of reaching the stars, which explores our enduring fascination with the skies and the journey of space exploration. The piece traces the relationship between ancient imagination, scientific discovery, and contemporary innovation.

Program:
Li Shaosheng, composer
Chasing the Sky for orchestra
Celestial Journey
Questioning the Sky
Flying Apsaras
Exploring the Sky
The Heavens Move with Tireless Vigor
Intermission
Zhou Long, composer；Su Wei, librettist
Men of Iron and the Golden Spike symphonic oratorio
Prologue
The Endless Sea
“Coolie Work Chant” and “Song of the Chinese Railroadmen”
These Chinese
My Name is …
Snow on New Year’s Eve
Avalanche
Belated Golden Spike
Epilogue

Performers:
Jindong Cai, conductor
Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano
Ziqi Wang, mezzo-soprano
Yi Li, tenor
Yue Wu, baritone
Andrew Munn, bass ‍

The Orchestra Now
China Now Chorus