Built on the theme of “love” and melding concepts traditional and new, this program is the brainchild of Tan Dun, who also conducts. Michael Gordon’s Romeo (1992) and selections from Prokofiev’s ballet music to Romeo and Juliet both draw inspiration from Shakespeare’s classic play. Our audience will experience two “firsts”: Tan conducting the GSO in his GSO commission—the symphonic poem Farewell My Concubine embodying Peking opera influence of Mei Lanfang that features piano and qingyi; and the composer conducting the GSYO for the first time in his work specifically written for youth orchestras—Secret of Wind and Birds—combining WeChat mobile technology and the ancient musical form of passacaglia.