The Institute for Chinese Studies, Asian American Studies, and Mershon Center for International Security Studies Present:
"Beethoven in Beijing: Exploring Cultural Diplomacy and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China Legacy"
Jennifer Lin
with discussants
Dorothy Noyes
Director of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, The Ohio State University
and
Danielle Fosler-Lussier
Professor of Musicology, The Ohio State University
Abstract: Fifty years ago, President Nixon pulled back the bamboo curtain separating the United States and China—and the Philadelphia Orchestra stepped across the threshold. After Western music was targeted for elimination during the Cultural Revolution, a historic visit by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1973 touched hearts and rekindled a love for the music despite years of silence. Narrated by American and Chinese musicians and historians, Beethoven in Beijing explores the impact of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic tour on China both then and now. Spanning a half-century of cultural history, the documentary highlights recent collaborations between the orchestra and Chinese musicians, including composer Tan Dun and pianist Lang Lang.
Jennifer Lin, who produced and co-directed the film, will also discuss her companion book, Beethoven in Beijing: Stories from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Historic Journey to China (Temple University Press, 2022). The oral history examines how the 1973 tour by the Philadelphia Orchestra stands to this day as one of the most effective examples of cultural diplomacy. Download the PDF flyer here.
Jennifer Lin is an award-winning journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker. For 31 years, Lin worked at The Philadelphia Inquirer as a reporter, including posts as a foreign correspondent in China, a financial correspondent on Wall Street, and a national correspondent in Washington DC. Lin co-directed Beethoven in Beijing with Sharon Mullally. The pair spent five years filming the orchestra, including joining musicians on three tours of China. The film, produced by History Making Productions, premiered nationally on PBS’s Great Performances series in 2021. Lin is also author of a family memoir, Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). Lin is currently working on a documentary, Beyond Yellowface, about eliminating racial stereotypes from ballet and opera.
On Thursday, 2/9, Asian American Studies, our co-sponsor for this event, will also host Jennifer Lin's discussion of her upcoming documentary Beyond Yellowface at 3:00 pm in Denney Hall 311.
