Ten Minutes of Applause for the Sofia Philharmonic in Shanghai

The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra went on tour in China with the show "Star Wars A New Hope In Concert" - a film screening plus a live orchestra. The Bulgarian tour is at Disney's invitation. The first concert was on March 8 in Shanghai, on stage at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, conducted by Japanese Keitharo Harada, applauded 10 minutes in the final, Philharmonic officials said.

Among the audience were official guests from China and representatives of Disney, who congratulated the Bulgarian musicians after the concert. On Sunday, the conductor Nayden Todorov will join the orchestra, who in the meantime has performed two concerts in Germany with cellist Camille Tomas, the Grammy winner.

The event was on one of the five scenes of Shanghai Oriental. Since its opening in 2004, Art Complex has received a number of world orchestras.

Eight are the concert shows, in which the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra will perform John Williams's "Star Wars: Episode IV - New Hope" music in China. Apart from Shanghai, the orchestra will play in the cities of Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Changsha, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Tickets for concerts are sold out completely, the Philharmonic says.