Soviet war in Afghanistan
In 1987, the Baltimore SO and its then-music director David Zinman undertook a concert tour of Europe and the Soviet Union. The Baltimore SO was the first American orchestra in 11 years to tour the Soviet Union after cultural relations resumed towards the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Under Zinman the orchestra made its first visits to Chicago and the Midwest in 1990 and to East Asia in 1994, with subsequent East Asia tours in 1997 and 2002. The Baltimore SO has often appeared at Carnegie Hall, including a February 2008 concert with the New York premiere of Steven Mackey's percussion concerto "Time Release" with soloist Colin Currie.