At an official media launch held here Monday, Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the NAC, said that 70 musicians from the Orchestra will travel to seven cities, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Tianjin, Beijing, and Shanghai from Oct.4-20.

　　They will perform eight major concerts and organize more than 80 education and outreach activities, plus five international broadband videoconference events linking young musicians in Canada and China, Herrndorf said.

　　During Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to China in February 2012, Canada and China committed to a series of initiatives that would strengthen their bilateral relationship, including holding cultural events in the other side in the years of 2013 and 2014. The tour supports this objective.

　　James Moore, Canada's Minister of Heritage and Official Languages said at the function that the NAC and the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing are working side by side and demonstrating the strong relationship between the two countries.

　　Zhang Junsai, China's ambassador to Canada, said that the two countries are witnessing the peak time of bilateral cultural exchanges in recent years, and the NAC Orchestra's China tour is surely an important part of this shared commitment.

　　"The China tour of the NAC Orchestra will likewise leave its imprint in China's cultural exchanges with Canada and the West, and help sowing seeds of friendship in the hearts of Chinese music students and fans," Zhang added.

　　This tour is built around a long-term relationship between the NAC and the NCPA, which recently signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding for cultural exchange and collaboration.

　　Under this agreement, the NAC will host the NCPA Orchestra in the fall of 2014 for a concert in Ottawa, Canada. Furthermore, discussions are underway for both creative and educational collaborations in future years.

　　A key tour highlight will certainly be the opening concert in Hong Kong, which will bring together the NAC Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta for the first time. More than 130 musicians will be on stage creating a powerful symbol of two cultures working together.

　　China is experiencing extraordinary growth in music: it's estimated that 100 million children in China are currently studying the piano or the violin.

　　"We are hoping to share what we do best," said Pinchas Zukerman. "I am so proud of how great this orchestra sounds and I can't wait to bring their music to the Chinese audiences."