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Peter Solomon, 37, principal French horn player of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO), chose to return to China last month amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
He has a happy family with two young children and has lived in Shanghai for more than seven years.
"My wife and I are from America, and our family is all in America, but I think Shanghai is our home," he said.
Recalling his experience more than a month ago, Solomon described it as a "difficult decision." But he had a strong will to come back home.
"We want to come back to our work, our kids to school, and we missed our cats," he said.
Solomon finally returned to Shanghai from the United States on March 10 with the help of the SSO, though the journey was full of twists and turns.
The SSO set up a WeChat group after COVID-19 broke out in China to keep foreign musicians informed about the latest news and government policies, as well as providing assistance and keeping track of their health.
"The orchestra was great. They checked with me when we were in the U.S. during the Spring Festival holiday to make sure we were okay," Solomon said, adding that the orchestra also offered suggestions about his travel itinerary.
After his arrival in Shanghai, Solomon was impressed by a series of strict and meticulous quarantine measures taken by the local authorities.
"We were really amazed by the volunteers. Of course the (nucleic acid testing) process was slow, but they were very patient and delt with various situations calmly. They answered our inquires patiently and we didn't feel any language barriers," he said, adding the city's control measures are important and expressed his support.
After returning home, he was asked to undergo two weeks of quarantine. He saw this as an opportunity to spend more time with his family.
"We mostly spend time helping our children with their schoolwork. From time to time, I practice playing the French horn," he said.
Solomon remained optimistic about the classical music market.
"There's not classical music really happening at the time in Shanghai like there used to be, but I'm not so worried because I know eventually things will be safe enough to have concerts again," he said.
To maintain operations and inspire the public with music, the SSO has already put a series of concerts online.
"I had a chamber concert last year that was recorded and shown online," Solomon said. "I'm planning on just a solo piece in the next two weeks or so."
He said people need music very much at such moments.
Of the 108 players in the orchestra, nine were from abroad, including the United States, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Italy. Two foreign players remain stranded abroad.
