The New York Philharmonic, one of the oldest orchestras in the United States, will tour five Chinese cities early next year.

The orchestra has announced an 11-concert tour from February 11 to 24, the Beijing News reported on Thursday.

Music director Lorin Maazel will lead his orchestra to play in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, as well as Beijing and Shanghai.

In the nation's capital Beijing, the orchestra is likely to wow audiences at the newly-built National Grand Theater.

Chinese audiences are expected to hear works by Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

There will also be some Chinese faces among the performers, including the philharmonic's associate conductor Zhang Xian, and principal oboist Wang Liang.
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(CRI November 22, 2007)