Terra faculty member tours China with Hollywood Film Orchestra | Arts & Culture

FREMONT, OH (PRESS RELEASE) - Virgil Lupu, an adjunct faculty member at Terra State Community College, recently returned from a three-week tour in China where he performed 17 shows in 16 different cities with the Hollywood Film Orchestra.

Stops included Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Dalian and 12 others that would be both hard to pronounce and to remember, Lupu said. 

“Although this might sound like a lot of traveling, it was always kept minimal, comfortable, and the local promoters made sure the orchestra was always well fed and well rested,” he added.

The program of the concert included sound tracks from popular Oscar-winning movies such as Harry Potter, Superman, James Bond 007, West Side Story and many others.

Besides being the lead violinist of the Hollywood Film Orchestra, Lupu was also featured in the main theme from the movie Schindler’s List, where he emotionally performed the solo violin part and was accompanied by the orchestra.

“Every performance had great success and was received with standing ovations, followed by pictures and autographs back stage,” Lupu said. “Often times the performance was broadcast live on the local TV or radio stations.”

The Chinese promoter that made this tour possible received so many compliments from the audience and the media that he is already working on booking venues and bringing the orchestra back next year, according to Lupu.

“Overall it was a great experience both musically and culturally. Art in general and particularly music is a universal language and it allows for great opportunities for traveling and cultural exchange,” he said. “I hope to eventually see the Terra music department growing in this direction and being able to reach out to the world and to create exchange programs that would be so beneficial for the college.”

Lupu lives in Toledo and has been playing the violin since he was seven years old.  Now 29, he has been with the touring orchestra for five years and at Terra for three. He is an artist in residence and concertmaster of the Terra Chamber Arts Orchestra. He teaches music history, music theory, aural skills and music appreciation at Terra.