Harbin, capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, is known as the Music City due to its long history of musical influence.
 
In April 1908, the Russian Trans-Amur Railway Brigade Orchestra performed Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" in Harbin, opening the prelude to the first symphony concert in Chinese history.
 
The orchestra was later adapted into China's first symphony orchestra, the Middle East Railway Club Symphony Orchestra, the predecessor of the Harbin Symphony Orchestra.
 
In the 1920s and 1930s, the orchestra was known as the First Symphony Orchestra of the Far East.
 
In 2017, the Harbin Symphony Orchestra performed with many Chinese and foreign symphony orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as famous Chinese and foreign conductors including Zubin Mehta, Gergiev, Zheng Xiaoying and Tang Muhai in countries such as Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, and South Korea.
 
In 2020, Harbin was chosen as the permanent host site of the prestigious Schoenfeld International String Competition.
 
The Schoenfeld competition – involving violins, cellos and chamber music groups – was initiated by the Schoenfeld sisters, one a world-famous violinist and the other a famous cellist in the 1930s.
 
Despite the development of professional musical events, Harbin has continued to hold the Summer of Harbin Music Concert for 61 consecutive years, giving people the opportunity to enjoy various kinds of musical activities for a period of several months.