Back to the musical future

Maazel, who made his debut with the BSO in December 1960, will lead the company on a 10-day trip to China and Japan in May.

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Volpe, who oversees the activities of the BSO, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, has combined his formal training as a musician with a legal background, which has helped him serve as the chief executive of Boston's premier orchestral company.

For some of the musicians this trip will be particularly exciting because "they get to see family", Volpe says.

Jessica Zhou, a Beijing-bred principal harpist with the BSO, says she was aware of the 1979 BSO trip because of an exchange program her mother participated in at the China National Symphony Orchestra.

"I knew that musically it was a big deal at the time, but I'm just surprised the BSO has not been back in so many years," Zhou says.

"In fact my father-in-law, who wasn't even at the BSO concert, had the actual program from 1979. He treasured that program because the concert made such an impact on him."

Zhou, who started studying the harp in Beijing at 9 years old, comes from a family with a long line of musical affinities. Zhou's father was a flutist, and she and her mother shared the same harp teacher at the conservatory in Beijing where Zhou trained as a young girl.

"I came here at 13, but I go back quite often and it's definitely not the same China from 1979," Zhou says.

"Any Western orchestra that comes through draws a lot of attention, so I think it's significant for the BSO to make a presence in China. This trip is going to be a great draw for the Chinese audience, and I think people are very eager to hear the orchestra."

Anthony Fogg, the artistic administrator for the BSO, says finding the right balance for the program in this concert series is a key component of the planning process.

"It's in everyone's interest to get that program right," Fogg says. "I've never been to China, so to a large extent I had to rely on the recommendations of those who have much more experience about the audience's expectations.

"The whole ritual of performance in China is something that's completely new to me. I'm really looking forward to seeing the reaction from the Chinese audiences: how they listen, concert etiquette and how they respond to certain pieces."

Volpe, the BSO's managing director, says he is hopeful the 2014 trip to China and Japan will be a watershed moment for the BSO's touring schedule going forward.

"Thirty-five years was inadvertent, but as China continues to grow, I think it will be on the regular touring schedule," Volpe says. "I'm not saying it will be every year, but I'm sure we'll be reaching out to China in a number of ways."