Update #4 - China Tour

Thursday, December 31, 2009, 6:00 pm local time

Thursday, December 31, 2009, 3:00 am Tucson Time

Last night, we played the second concert of our tour, in the magnificent Shenzhen Poly Theatre. The performance was very successful, as you can judge from Linus' comments on the Arizona Daily Star web site http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/arts/17775/saso-is-loving-shenzhen (copied below).

We just heard that tonight's performance in the same theater is SOLD OUT and we are looking forward to a thrilling New Year's Eve!

Wishing all our friends and supporters a Happy New Year,

Tim Secomb

Tour Manager

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SASO is loving Shenzhen

12/30/2009 04:29 PM

Cathalena E. Burch

In an email message today, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra Conductor Linus Lerner blogged about the orchestra’s adventures in Shenzhen, China, where they performed a concert Tuesday night and will do another New Year’s Eve:

“Shenzhen is an amazing city and we are located right on the center of Coastal City with all its shopping and just one block from the theater, which is a wonder of architecture.

“The concert last night (Tuesday) went really well and we did not have enough encores! The orchestra was very happy and impressed to play in such a venue and the sound carried so well and we could hear every nuance. We sounded great and the energy of the concert was amazing. Compared to the first concert it was like night and day … we were all rested and having a great time. We performed 3 encores and the audience asked for more. I was already off stage and had to come back again because they would not stop clapping and asking for more music so we repeated the Radetsky March and they stayed standing and clapping with us all the way through the end.

“The theater had probably about a thousand people and they were very impressive and seem to like every piece we played. In China it is common for the audience to clap discretely through the concert and then get really excited at the encores because for them that represents a bonus and they really appreciate the extra music. So in other words, for any orchestra, we cannot be so sure how much they liked it until the end where they ask for encores and more encores!

“The orchestra is very happy with the hall and looking forward to another performance tonight (New Year’s Eve). We are only playing one concert tonight instead as two as previously announced. The sponsors canceled the second concert (the one which we were supposed to play at midnight) and I really don’t know the reason but it works for us so we can have our own party to commemorate the New Year!

“The hotel where we are staying is great and really nice although it is going to be very hard to top the hotel in Dalian since it was a five-star one. Food is good and people are getting massages all the time because they are so good and so cheap … I myself got a massage yesterday for $7 … and yes I went to heaven so good it was!

“The places are so modern around us and because we are so close to Hong Kong, it is very similar architecture. Astonishing! Right across from the hotel we even have a huge Brazilian Steak House and a Starbucks Coffee place right on the side! I will try to send you some pics later today so you can have an idea.

Anyway, everyone is having a great time and everything is going really well. To some people it is still hard to believe that this is happening and SASO is indeed playing like a professional group. I am so proud of them!”