CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, December 16, 2020 | 17 YOUTH

hen Alexander Brose the graduate students with a major and He Wei first came in collaborative piano. The program to Tianjin in 2017 to places extra emphasis on opera­ prepare for the open­ coaching. ingW of the Tianjin Juilliard School — “I performed with students from the first overseas campus of the New the opera department of Cleveland York­based performing arts con­ Institute of Music when I studied servatory — only four people were there as a soloist. It was an interest­ there and the building of the new Strike up the bands ing experience to collaborate with school was still on paper. the singers. It brings a different kind Today, they have not only devel­ of joy when I perform with singers, oped the Tianjin Juilliard School in compared to being a soloist,” says numbers, with over 70 staff mem­ The Tianjin Juilliard School has finally started its graduate program, Wang, who started to play the piano bers, over 40 faculty members and at the age of 5. about 130 students, but are also Chen Nan reports. “The three majors in the graduate building the school culture gradual­ program at Tianjin Juilliard School ly. are all collaborative. It is critical for Even as the pandemic raged out­ musicians to collaborate, which side China, the school welcomed its enables them to listen to each other inaugural graduate students and and share music,” says He Wei, the pre­college students in September. school’s artistic director and dean. “We were told at the end of this He was born in Chengdu, South­ summer that we were, at least at west China’s Sichuan province, and that time, the only college in China trained at the Sichuan Conservatory to receive permission to bring in of Music before going to the US to new international graduate stu­ study at the San Francisco Conserv­ dents this year,” says Brose, execu­ atory of Music in 1991. tive director and CEO of the Tianjin The Tianjin school also hosts a Juilliard School. pre­college program, modeled on “It’s very difficult to bring them Juilliard New York’s century­old back to China with travel restric­ pre­college program, with the Tian­ tions caused by the pandemic. jin school’s inaugural class launched “Countless people in both the on Sept 7, 2019. This September, United States and China, including nearly 90 pre­college students aged those at the Juilliard School in New 8 to 18 came to study at the Tianjin York and our partners here, have campus every Saturday from been working for as many as 10 around the country, such as Shang­ years to make this day a reality,” hai, Beijing, Xining in Northwest Brose says. China’s Qinghai province, Hong “It’s a difficult period for Sino­US Kong and Taiwan. relations. We have received support “The students have demonstrated from our partners in China, which unusual commitment throughout never changed. We’ve already the whole process despite some served as a cultural bridge between enormous challenges caused by the the two countries and we will con­ pandemic. These students look for tinue to do so in the coming years.” adventure and they are self­assured Located along the Haihe River and confident enough to embrace and a short high­speed train ride the unknown,” He says. from Beijing, the building of the According to Brose, once the pan­ Tianjin school was designed by Dil­ demic is over, the Tianjin school will ler Scofidio + Renfro, the same firm become a new hub for performing responsible for the 2009 expansion arts, with shows — about 100 con­ of Juilliard’s iconic New York home. certs a year — by students, faculty Founded in 1905 and located at members and guest performers Lincoln Center in New York City, the opening to the public. Juilliard School is a world leader in The Shanghai Quartet, a well­ performing arts education. known chamber ensemble founded The Tianjin school project start­ in 1983, will give a recital on Dec 16 ed in 2015. While accompanying Clockwise from top: Graduate students and resident faculty members of the Tianjin Juilliard School perform at the second Tianjin Chamber at the Tianjin Juilliard School, per­ President Xi Jinping on a State visit Music Festival. A rendering of the Tianjin Juilliard School building. He Wei and Alexander Brose have developed the Tianjin Juilliard and forming the works of Beethoven. to the US, his wife Peng Liyuan visit­ are building the school culture gradually. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY The quartet, consisting of first ed the Juilliard School in New York. violinist Weigang Li, second violin­ Thirty­nine students from 11 ist Angelo Xiang Yu, violist Hong­ countries and regions joined the graduate students on the Tianjin formance and received her master Tianjin got in touch with her and It’s my hope to someday be able to gang Li and cellist Nicholas Tianjin campus’ inaugural graduate campus. She plays the flute and of arts in the same subject from helped. share the knowledge and experience Tzavaras, joined the Tianjin Juil­ studies program, which offers three majors in orchestral studies. Lynn University (a private Florida “It was an incredible story that I I gain from my studies abroad in my liard School this fall as resident fac­ collaborative majors in orchestral The flutist, who is from Uzbekis­ college) in 2017. could finally come to study here,” home city and finally become a great ulty members. studies, chamber music and collabo­ tan, graduated from the State Con­ She says she couldn’t get her visa says Sorokoletova. “The degrees and performer and teacher.” rative piano. servatory of Uzbekistan in 2010 with to China because of the travel high­quality instruments were not Wang Ziyi learned about the Tian­ Contact the writer at Alla Sorokoletova is one of the a bachelor of arts degree in flute per­ restrictions. The overseas office in available to me in my home country. jin school two years ago and is one of [email protected] Shanghai Quartet set to play a string of classical hits

By CHEN NAN “It will be our first recital after New York’s Juilliard School, last year. recipient of the 2019 Avery Fisher putes during our rehearsals. To have sign for the future development of Angelo joined the quartet and also “We are interested in building up Career Grant and the Lincoln Center the most beautiful sound, we had to classical music in China,” says Wei­ The Shanghai Quartet, which our first recital after the pandemic,” an educational platform in China, Emerging Artist Award in the same reach agreements and practice over gang Li, who began studying the vio­ announced its new member Angelo says Weigang Li, first violinist of the which enables us to share our experi­ year. In 2010, he won the first prize in and over again. We didn’t want to dis­ lin when he was 5. Xiang Yu as its second violinist in quartet. ences and knowledge as a string the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. appoint the composers and the audi­ He went on to attend the Shanghai November, will give a recital at the Li says the performance will quartet over the past 37 years. It’s a “I grew up playing music by myself. ence,” says violist Honggang Li. Conservatory Middle School at age Tianjin Juilliard School on Wednes­ include three pieces written by Beet­ great opportunity to fulfill this idea However, it is important to work with The Shanghai Quartet was formed 14. Three years later, in 1982, he was day. hoven for string quartet at three dif­ by joining the Tianjin Juilliard other musicians. Joining this in 1983 by Honggang Li and his selected to go and study for one year Marking Ludwig van Beethoven’s ferent periods in his life — for School,” says Weigang Li, who teach­ esteemed group of colleagues is a brother, Weigang Li. at the San Francisco Conservatory of 250th birth anniversary this year, the example, Grosse Fuge Op 133 is one of es both the pre­college and graduate dream come true. During my youth “There were hardly any Chinese Music through the first cultural quartet will perform three of the Ger­ the last pieces Beethoven wrote programs. in Shanghai, I admired the Shanghai musicians interested in chamber exchange program between Shang­ man composer’s pieces written for before he died. The new member, Yu, who was Quartet as a prime example of how a music at the time. Very limited pro­ hai and San Francisco. string quartet: String Quartet No 6 in The members of Shanghai Quartet born in North China’s Inner Mongo­ string quartet should sound,” Yu says. fessional guidance in chamber music In 1984, the quartet won the sec­ B­flat Major, Op 18, No 6, Grosse Fuge — Weigang Li, Yu, violist Honggang lia autonomous region in 1988 and On Saturday, the quartet per­ was available to us. Now, chamber ond prize at the Portsmouth Interna­ Op 133 and String Quartet No 8 in E Li and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras — went to the primary school affiliated formed at the open day of the Tianjin music is widely practiced at music tional Quartet Competition. They Minor, Op 59, No 2, Razumovsky. joined the faculty of Tianjin Juilliard to the Shanghai Conservatory of Juilliard School. schools in China by the younger gen­ made their debut in New York in School, the first overseas campus of Music to study violin at age 10, is the “We spent a lot of time solving dis­ eration of musicians,which is a good 1987.