SHANGHAI: "We look forward to sharing our music with the residents of Shanghai and the many visitors to the World Expo," said Philadelphia Orchestra Executive Director and CEO Frank Slattery.

The world's prestigious orchestra, also one of the most-traveled American symphonic ensembles, will perform during the first week of the Expo on May 7 next year, at the Expo Performance Center which is under construction and will be able to accommodate 18,000 people.

"This occasion marks another step in the US commitment to the Expo," said Shanghai Consul General Beatrice Camp, who Tuesday witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum between the orchestra and local Expo organizers on the future performance.

The Shanghai Expo Bureau Deputy Director General Huang said that Philadelphia Orchestra is a world-class organization which had a historic and friendly relationship with China.

Shanghai will be the last station of the 109-year-old Philadelphia Orchestra's 2010 tour of Asia, which will mark its 35th tour outside North America and 14th visit to Asia. Before Shanghai, the Orchestra will also visit Beijing China.

Related readings:  Expo forum on low-carbon economy held in Dongguan  'One axis and four pavilions': Post-Expo landmarks  Nanjing hungry to pounce on expo spillover  Energy-saving tops expo agenda

Thirty-six years ago in 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra was the first US orchestra to perform in China, at the special request of President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as cultural ambassador in re-establishing US's bilateral ties with China.

In a related development, the United States Expo group has raised about two-thirds of the 61 million US dollars needed to build and run its pavilion for the 2010 World Expo, according to Beatrice Camp.

Construction on the pavilion would be finished by the end of the year, ?Camp was quoted as saying by Wednesday's Shanghai Daily.

The US Pavilion will provide a picture of what American cities might look like in 2030, with the theme of "Celebration 2030."

Camp said an urban roof garden would showcase US sustainable agriculture and organic food production techniques. Vegetable grown there would be served in a restaurant of the pavilion.

The United States signed an Expo participation contract on July 10, becoming the 240th confirmed participant for the event.

Its budget includes about 20 million US dollars for construction, 20 million US dollars for production of the pavilion's shows and promotions, with the rest set aside for operations during the six-month period of the Expo.