Conductor and bestselling book writer Benjamin Zander will stage a concert in Shanghai with the New England Conservatory's Youth Philharmonic Orchestra on June 29, he has been conducting for 40 years.

"Zander is an excellent conductor famed primarily for conducting Mahler's compositions," says local music critic Li Yanhuan, who has collections of Zander's recordings. "His recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 was awarded the 2004 Critic's Choice by the German Record Critic's Award Association, and his recording of Mahler's 9th Symphony was nominated for a Grammy Award."

The conductor will play Mahler's "Symphony No. 1 in D major" for his Shanghai concert.

He started his musical training in his native England with the cello and took composition lessons under the guidance of his father.

When he was nine, Benjamin Britten, England's leading composer, took an interest in his development and invited the family to spend three summers in Aldeburgh in Suffolk where he lived. Later he learned from Britten's close associate Imogen Holst, daughter of the famous composer Gustav Holst and the great Spanish cello virtuoso Gaspar Cassado.

He joined the Faculty of the New England Conservatory in 1967 and became the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra in 1979, performing an extensive repertoire focussing on late romantic and early 20th century composers, especially the Mahler symphonies. Under his direction the orchestra even completed an all-Mahler season to celebrate the orchestra's 25th anniversary in 2003-2004.

As an established guest conductor, he has a unique relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, recording with them a series of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies.

Apart from music, conductor Zander has an extensive speaking career, having appeared four times as a keynote speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He's also written a best-selling book "The Art of Possibility" with his partner, leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, it has been translated into 15 languages.

For the Shanghai concert he will also play John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine," Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower," Dvorak's "Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104 (first movement)" and Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" with the orchestra.

"The best review I ever got was not from a music critic, but from my father," Zander said during an earlier interview. "He was 94 years old at the time and completely blind. He attended a master class I gave in London and sat there in his wheelchair for about three hours. When it was over, I went to speak with him. He lifted up his finger in his characteristic way and said, I see that you are actually a member of the healing profession. It seemed to me the highest accolade."

Date: June 29, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 100 to 500 yuan
Tel: 021-62172426