In 1973, Western music was banned in the People’s Republic of China. But in a remarkable breakthrough cultural exchange, the Philadelphia Orchestra became the first American orchestra to perform in the closed-off communist nation. Author and documentary filmmaker Jennifer Lin will join us at the Westwood Public Library to discuss her new book, Beethoven in Beijing, a fabulous photo-rich oral history of this boundary-breaking series of concerts. 

Lin draws from interviews, personal diaries, and news accounts to give voice to the American and Chinese musicians, diplomats, journalists, and others who participated in and witnessed this historic event. Beethoven in Beijing shows how this 1973 tour came at the dawn of a resurgence of interest in classical music in China. 

Copies of Beethoven in Beijing will be available for purchase at this event. 

Registration is not required. Please email any questions about this program to Corinne at ccoveney@minlib.net.

Jennifer Lin is a journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker. Her book Beethoven in Beijing is based on the 2021 PBS documentary of the same name, which Jennifer created and co-directed. She is also the author of Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family, and co-author of Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running.