The JM Jazz World Orchestra will launch its China tour in Xi’an in early August 2026, marking the international youth jazz orchestra’s first tour in China.
The tour’s central ensemble, the JM Jazz World Orchestra, is part of Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), a nonprofit youth-music organization active in more than 70 countries and regions. JMI works closely with UNESCO and has spent decades supporting youth culture and international exchange. It is a leading platform for young artists worldwide. The tour aims to move beyond traditional arts exchanges, using jazz’s values of freedom, inclusion, and coexistence to create an ongoing platform for young artists from China and abroad to collaborate, exchange ideas, and engage in cultural dialogue.
The tour is jointly presented by the Chinese Musicians Association, JMI (Jeunesses Musicales International), and Shaanxi Tourism Group Co., Ltd., with support from the China Literature and Art Foundation. It is organized by Silk Road Culture & Tourism Commercial Management Co., Ltd. of Xixian New Area, Shaanxi Land Entertainment Co., Ltd., and Shaanxi Zerun Digital Media Co., Ltd. The tour will visit Xi’an and Chengdu for seven major jazz concerts, using international jazz as a vehicle to connect Chinese and Western cultural traditions, support urban development, and energize cultural tourism.
The orchestra’s first China tour is a strategic step toward integrating China’s music community into the global arts landscape and building stronger connections with the world. It marks a significant move onto the international stage and a milestone in deepening artistic exchange among young people from China and abroad. Led exclusively by internationally acclaimed jazz master and conductor Luis Bonilla, the ensemble brings together top young jazz musicians from around the world. A high-profile mystery guest will also join the performances, creating a program that is technically accomplished, innovative, and international, and offering local audiences an authentic experience of world-class jazz.
The tour will use an innovative “concerts plus site-specific pop-up performances” format, taking art beyond theaters and into the city to enrich cultural tourism. The goal is a new kind of immersive, interactive, and widely shared cultural experience. The program will bring Chinese and Western cultures together: alongside internationally celebrated jazz classics, it will draw deeply on Xi’an’s Silk Road heritage and traditional Chinese aesthetics. Original jazz works with Chinese influences will let the ancient Silk Road tradition meet contemporary international art in a fresh expression with both artistic ambition and cultural warmth.
Xi’an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and a key meeting place of Eastern and Western civilizations, is the first stop of the international tour. It carries the mission of sharing Chinese culture and telling Silk Road stories to the world. Beginning in Xi’an and continuing to Chengdu, the tour will create a two-way exchange between international art and the cultural heritage of Chinese cities.
The tour will also include high-level discussions among Chinese and international artists, collaborative music-creation sessions, and forums on the cultural industries. These events will bring together representatives from the arts and tourism sectors, young artists, and mainstream media, creating a platform for exchange and new opportunities for the participating organizations.