A file photo of the Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. The symphony will give its debut performance in China at Shanghai Grand Theatre on Feb 14. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra of Brazil, the first South American symphony to tour China, will hold a concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on the night of Valentine's Day.

The event also marked the first time the symphony's female conductor Marin Alsop is involved in a performance in China.

Alsop, who is one of the most prominent students of the late US musician Leonard Bernstein, introduced the symphony's music style as "accessible with folk elements" and highly rhythmic, which is "a hallmark of the Brazilian music".