The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), featuring 114 young musicians (ages 16-19) from across the states, will kick off its seven-city tour of China with performances scheduled for July 15-26, after a warm-up show at New York City's Carnegie Hall on July 11. Chinese piano virtuoso Li Yundi, who will join the tour as guest soloist, played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 Emperor with the orchestra in New York. The concert also featured the premiere of Chinese Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun's Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds, which was specially written for NYO-USA. Led by celebrated conductor Charles Dutoit, conductor laureate of the Philadelphia Orchestra and artistic director of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the tour will open in Beijing on Wednesday, followed by appearances at many of the country's greatest concert halls, including in Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. As part of the tour schedule, the NYO-USA musicians will communicate with local musicians and get a chance to experience Chinese history and culture. In July 2014, NYO-USA's visit to China was designated as one of four Cultural Pillars by the US State Department and Chinese government for the Fifth US-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange. Wailian Overseas Consulting Group, a Shanghai-based investment immigration company, has signed on as a tour sponsor. HONG XIAO / FOR CHINA DAILY