In December 2025, marking the orchestra’s 80th founding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of China-Hungary Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, the Hungarian State Railways Symphony Orchestra toured Shanghai, Beijing and Qinghai with its Danube Musical Journey New Year’s concert series for cross-cultural artistic exchange.

Conducted by seasoned maestro Tamás Churchill, a former French horn player with extensive international conducting and production experience, the concerts featured Canadian-Chinese pianist Zhang Haotian (born in the 1990s) as soloist. An award-winning international laureate with cross-genre creativity and active charity engagement, Zhang performed Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major. Founded by Hungary’s national railway corporation in 1945, the ensemble ranks among Hungary’s top symphony orchestras, with a repertoire spanning Baroque to contemporary compositions and over 50,000 annual in-person attendees. It has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Kurt Masur and Tang Muhai. The concert program balances timeless classics and Hungarian folk heritage: the first half highlights works by Johann Strauss II and Liszt, while the second half features pieces by Franz Lehár, Joseph Haydn, Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók, creating festive New Year vibes while commemorating China-Hungary artistic ties.