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.

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