Founded just over 40 years ago, the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra has become one of Asia’s leading orchestras.

In the late 1970s, the fishing village of Shenzhen began its transformation into China’s third most populous city and global technology hub. Against this backdrop, the orchestra was founded and now, under the baton of famous young conductor and music director Daye Lin, represents the rich culture of Shenzhen on the world stage. Its principal honorary conductor is Tan Dun, composer of the Academy Award-winning film score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

After decades of hard work, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra has become a strong orchestral force both at home and abroad. It has spread the voice of Shenzhen on the international stage and won the respect of its peers. SZSO is recognized as one of the outstanding professional symphony orchestras in China and has become a beautiful business card for Shenzhen.

As of 2007, famous Chinese conductors Yao Guanrong, Zhang Guoyong, and Yu Feng have served as principal conductors and music directors of the orchestra. From 2008 to July 2016, Professor Christian Ehwald, a famous German conductor and director of the Conducting Department of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, served as music director.

Throughout the years, the orchestra has cultivated long lasting collaborations with great artists and orchestras at home and abroad; composers such as Chen Gang, Huang Anlun, Lü Qiming, Tan Dun, Tang Jianping, Wang Danhong, Wang Ning, Ye Xiaogang, Zhang Qianyi and Eric Kunzel; conductors such as Chen Xieyang, Chen Zuohuang, Huang Xiaotong, Hu Yongyan, Li Delun, Lü Shao-Chia, Li Xincao, Shui Lan, Tang Muhai, Zheng Xiaoying, VIadimir Fedoseev, Daniele Gatti, Günther Herbig, Kirill Petrenko, Daniel Oren, Edvard Tchivzhel, Guido Johannes Rumstadt, Lior Shambadal and Michael Foster; famous performers such as Chen Sa, Lang Lang, Lü Siqing, Nie Jiapeng, Ning Feng, Qin Li-Wei, Qian Zhou, Wang Jian, Xue Suli, Yuan Fang, Zhu Dan, Zuo Zhang, Arto Noras, Oxana Yablonskaya, Paik Kun Woo, Antje Weithaas, Midori, Renaud Capuçon and Diana Tishchenko as well as famous singers Dilber Yunus, Dai Yuqiang, He Hui, Huang Ying, Liao Changyong, Lei Jia, Shen Yang, Shi Yijie, Wu Bixia, Wang Lida, Yin Xiumei, Zhang Liping, Jose Carreras, Carlow Struly among others.

Born in London, Tamsin Waley-Cohen enjoys an adventurous and varied career. In addition to concerts with the Royal Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic, she has twice been associate artist with the Orchestra of the Swan and works with conductors including Vasily Petrenko,  Ryan Bancroft and Tamás Vásáry.

She is thrilled to be a Signum Classics Artist. With her sister, composer Freya Waley-Cohen, and architects Finbarr O’Dempsey and Andrew Skulina, she held an Open Space residency at Aldeburgh, culminating in the 2017 premiere of Permutations at the Aldeburgh Festival, an interactive performance artwork synthesising music and architecture. Her love of chamber music led her to start the Honeymead Festival, now in its twelth year, from which all proceeds go to support local charities.

She is a founding member of the Albion string quartet, appearing regularly with them at venues including Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, and the Concertgebouw. In 2016-2017 she was the UK recipient of the ECHO Rising Stars Awards, playing at all the major European concert halls and premiering Oliver Knussen’s Reflection, written especially for her and Huw Watkins. In the 2018-19 season she toured Japan and China, and gave her New York Debut recital at the Frick.

She is Artistic Director of the Two Moors Festival, and has previously been Artistic Director of the Music Series at the Tricyle Theatre, London, and the Bargello festival in Florence. She studied at the Royal College of Music and her teachers included Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ruggiero Ricci and András Keller.

Jiapeng Nie is currently a cello tutor at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Guangzhou, and School of Music at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He is also the board member of Shenzhen Cello Association, and Vice Chairman of Shenzhen Young Musicians Association.

Jiapeng Nie was enrolled at the National University of Singapore Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the age of 16 under the tutelage of renowned cello player Li-Wei Qin. At the age of 20, he was awarded a full scholarship to study for a master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg, Germany, where he studied with the renowned cello master Arto Noras. He was granted Germany’s highest degree, ‘Konzerexamen’ at the age of 26.

As one of China’s most vibrant cellists, Nie Jiapeng has been performing all over the world and has been recognized by the Washington Classical Review as a cellist with a luminous and beautiful tone.

Jiapeng Nie has successfully collaborated with the China Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, BBC National Symphony Orchestra of Wales, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, among others. As well as performing at the most prominent festivals in Europe, he has been invited to perform concertos and recitals at the Ljubjana Music Festival, Carniarmonie Festival, Emilia Romagna Festival, Ravello Festival and many others.