Date: Aug 14 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing

The 110 members of the Asian Youth Orchestra are among the finest young musicians in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Chosen through highly competitive auditions held throughout the region, they are together for six weeks each summer, initially for a three-week Rehearsal Camp in Hong Kong, then for a three-week international concert tour with celebrated conductors and solo artists. Since its inaugural performances in 1990, the award-winning orchestra has played some 395 concerts in Asia, Europe, the US and Australia to an audience of more than one million concertgoers. A staggering 20,000 musicians, ranging in age from 17 to 27, have auditioned for AYO. A tuition-free cultural exchange summer program that involves Asia's brightest young musicians in exceptional opportunities for study and performance in an international environment, the Asian Youth Orchestra is designed to ignite a pride for what can be achieved by Asian musicians, while affecting a positive influence on the brain and talent drain that continues to frustrate all Asian nations.