The Three Tenors with American Chinese Medicine Health Preserving Chorus (JILLIAN NELSON)

"I have an adopted daughter from China and I am learning Chinese," New Yorker Marilyn Paisner said with a smile, as she watched the fifth annual Chinese New Year concert at Carnegie Hall in New York together with her husband on February 15, 2019.

The concert featured a wide variety of compositions, from Chopin to the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto, a famous Chinese composition. The harmonious blend of Chinese and Western music celebrated Chinese and American cultures together.

Mayor David N. Dinkins (JILLIAN NELSON)

"The celebration is a reminder that our city is a gorgeous mosaic of many cultures. The evening is a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity that helps to make New York City so vibrant," the city's Mayor David N. Dinkins, who was a special guest and performer, said. Dinkins read excerpts from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the rousing speech Lincoln made as U.S. president in 1863 when the American Civil War was raging. Dinkins was accompanied by British pianist Simon Mulligan, an acclaimed Steinway Artist.

A highlight of the concert was the popular song I Love You, China! sung by William Weimin Cai, Francisco Casanova, Honghai Tang and an American-Chinese choir, which made its debut to warm applause. The members of the choir are acupuncturists practicing in the New York area. Cai, an acuouncturist, was trained by Italian maestro Luciano Pavarotti.

Jie Chen, Chinese Pianist from Shanghai (JILLIAN NELSON)

The 5-year-old concert has become a New York City custom blending the Chinese New Year spirit and American culture. It is organized by Premier Event Management and Harvard Wealth Strategy and Management. Today, there are many more forms of China-U.S. interactions. One very successful example is that of Tong Ren Tang, the renowned traditional Chinese medicine brand, which has opened its first branch in New York City.

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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