The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), one of the world's leading orchestras, will hold concerts in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in April, sources with Beijing culture authorities said on Tuesday.

The concerts will be staged under the direction of the LSO's principal guest conductor Daniel Harding, with Chinese pianist Lang Lang and violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann as soloists, the sources added.

The April tour's program will include Mahler's Symphony No 5, Dvorak's Slavonic DAnces and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

As part of the tour, LSO and its sole sponsor Rolls Royce plc, a world-leading provider of power systems and services, will hold, in partnership with a Chinese company Poly Culture and Arts and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, a Masterclass, during which three students will have the opportunity to conduct members of the LSO under the guidance of Daniel Harding.

The Masterclass will be held in Beijing from April 19 to 20, the sources said.
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(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)