Author Talk: Jennifer Lin- Beethoven in Beijing

Author Jennifer Lin will present her book Beethoven in Beijing; a fabulous photo-rich oral history of the boundary-breaking series of concerts the Philadelphia orchestra performed in China during a time when Western music was banned in the communist nation.

In 1973, Western music was banned in the People’s Republic of China, but in a remarkable breakthrough cultural exchange, the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted a tour of closed-off China, becoming the first American orchestra to visit the communist nation. Jennifer Lin’s Beethoven in Beijing provides a fabulous photo-rich oral history of this boundary-breaking series of concerts the orchestra performed under famed conductor Eugene Ormandy. A companion volume to the film of the same name, Beethoven in Beijing shows how this 1973 tour came at the dawn of a resurgence of interest in classical music in China—now a vital source of revenue for touring orchestras.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase. This event is free, in-person and open to the public.