Hear Xian Zhang conduct BBC NOW on BBC Radio 3

Nov 28, 2016

Listen to a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of yesterday’s BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales performance with conductor Xian Zhang—NJSO Music Director and BBC NOW Principal Guest Conductor. The full concert is available for on-demand listening at www.bbc.co.uk until December 26.

Zhang led BBC NOW in a special performance at Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff as part of BBC Radio 3’s “Pass the Baton!” event. The BBC NOW program featured works by Handel, Hector MacDonald, Huw Watkins, Debussy and Prokofiev.

“BBC Radio 3’s Pass the Baton! day celebrates the unique contributions which the BBC's Orchestras and Choirs make to British musical life,” the station writes. “With live performances from Cardiff, Glasgow, London and Salford, plus discussions, features and recordings which demonstrate the ensembles' distinctive work in their own communities and further afield.”

» Listen to the November 28 BBC NOW concert at www.bbc.co.uk.

Zhang triumphed in her debut performances as NJSO Music Director this fall, bringing “not just skill but also heart” (The Star-Ledger). The New York Times calls her a “dynamic podium presence” and praises her “technical abilities, musicianship and maturity.” Zhang next conducts the NJSO in a February program featuring Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto and Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Hear Zhang conduct live! Explore her 2016–17 concerts with the NJSO.