Educational programs have always been a priority for the Berliner Philharmoniker since Simon Rattle took up the position of music director (2002-18), according to Zietzschmann. "We want to have a big outreach and help as many people as possible get acquainted with classical music," she says. "In Berlin, we have a program for babies a couple of months old to elderly people. Since we are doing a resident program in Shanghai, we have the time to do more than play symphony concerts."

Not everybody can come to those concerts, Bendix-Balgley says. "So we must engage with the community and music lovers around the city, in different settings than the concert hall.

"It's meaningful to have a musical exchange with people here, which is meaningful to build the relationship and have some sort of impact on the next generation of musicians and music lovers," he says.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn