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Han Zhongjie, pioneering conductor who blazed trail for Chinese musicians in the US, dies aged 97

Han Zhongjie’s career was marked by a series of musical diplomatic milestones, in which he became the first conductor to go on a foreign tour with a Chinese orchestra before a series of groundbreaking performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

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Han Zhongjie (1920 -2018). Photo: Imagechina

Han Zhongjie, the last of the old guard of Chinese conductors, who made a series of groundbreaking performances that stretched from Warsaw to Boston, has died aged 97.

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Han was a pioneer of symphonic music in China and acted as mentor for a league of distinguished conductors over the course of six decades.

He was best known as the first Chinese to conduct the renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra soon after China normalised relations with the United States. 

He made his debut abroad almost a quarter century earlier, but for political reasons was initially confined to the Soviet bloc.

“How I wish I could have pursued my music career in an environment that was free of political interference, but what I got was the opposite,” Han once said.

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Han Zhongjie’s performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra made history. Photo: Weibo
Han Zhongjie’s performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra made history. Photo: Weibo
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