The New York Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra have had close ties since the founding of MISA. "We jointly commissioned new compositions, and cofounded the Shanghai Orchestra Academy," Zhou Ping, president of the Shanghai orchestra, said before the opening concert. "To me, this substantial and enduring partnership with the New York Philharmonic is a precious and rare thing. I think hardly any other orchestra in China can manage to maintain such a long-term relationship with an international colleague."

In 2015, the New York Philharmonic made its debut at MISA, introducing its Young People's Concerts series to Shanghai, as well as their ideas for art education. Its Young Composers Program was introduced to Shanghai in 2016. The program celebrates children's creativity by providing them with the tools to transform their musical ideas into finished compositions.

"Every time I come to China, I'm so impressed by the extent of participation in music from the many music students that we encounter," says Matias Tarnopolsky, the new president and CEO of the philharmonic. "Anything we can do to help encourage and broaden the experience of music for young people is something that we're very committed to."

Tarnopolsky was head of the Philadelphia Orchestra for almost seven years before taking office as president of the New York Philharmonic in January. The collaboration between the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has "enriched both institutions through the exchange of artists and repertoire, both in Shanghai and in New York", he says.

The Shanghai and New York orchestras have long and storied histories, one founded in 1879 and the other in 1842, "both partly the result of patterns of global immigration, and both founded in major international cities", he says.

The collaboration of musicians of the two orchestras and the connections with the Shanghai Orchestra Academy make the musical bonds between them very real and personal, he says.