Maestro Long Yu and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, along with musicians from the New York Philharmonic, will give the world premiere performance of Aaron Zigman’s new oratorio “Émigré.”

The performance will be held on Nov. 17 at the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall. Nearly 150 musicians will come together on stage to perform the premiere, including the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, members of the New York Philharmonic Chorus, Lanzhou Concert Hall Choir, and seven soloists. The concert will feature soloists Matthew White, Arnold Livingston Geis, Huiling Zhu, Meigui Zhang, Shenyang, Diana Newman, and Andrew Dwan.

The oratorio will be recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, which will be released in 2024.

In a statement, Long Yu, Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, said: “Émigré will shed light on humanity and provide a valuable lesson to us through the immense kindness and tolerance this city once released in history. From working on the draft idea to finally premiering the work this week, this new production has been carefully crafted over four years. We have musicians of different races and beliefs gathered in Shanghai to collaborate on the stage, and the piece will be performed by other orchestras in years to come, further conveying this message of love and hope to the world. This is the power of art.