Orchestras cancel Asian tours

The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra was due to tour South Korea and China from March 10 to 21, but the tour under Finnish conductor John Storgards has now been completely canceled. The reason for this is the spread of the coronavirus in China, which is now also affecting cultural life in South Korea.

Initially, the two concerts planned in China were canceled by the organizer at the beginning of February, and a week later one of the organizers also withdrew from Korea. The remaining concerts in Korea can now no longer be performed by the orchestra.

Due to the wave of infections, a long-planned concert tour by Festival Strings Lucerne with Midori, which was to have toured several East Asian countries in March, has also had to be canceled. A shortened tour without the concerts planned in mainland China was also no longer an option due to stricter travel regulations and the shutdown of public life at planned tour venues such as Hong Kong. The canceled concerts are to be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Concerts were planned in Singapore and Seoul as well as in the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Changsha and Zhuhai and a performance at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, where the Festival Strings Lucerne has been a guest performer since 1978. The Hong Kong Arts Festival, one of the most renowned festivals in Asia, was even completely canceled this year with over 120 events. A unique occurrence in the festival's almost 50-year history.