Yan Siyi Reflects on Conducting Beyond the Podium

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.Yan Siyi, winner of the inaugural Young Conductors’ Conference held in Shenzhen in 2025, returned last week as a guest observer during the forum’s second edition in Nanning, offering candid reflections on her musical training, artistic influences and how conductors are judged by both audiences and professionals.Yan, a native of Fujian province, studied orchestral conducting at Xinghai Conservatory of Music before completing her postgraduate degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Speaking on the sidelines of the second Young Conductors’ Conference, she noted that she does not follow a single conducting “idol,” preferring instead to be guided by repertoire and specific performances. Among the musicians who have influenced her thinking, she cited Leonard Bernstein’s interpretations of Mahler and the understated approach of Chung Myung-whun, whose conducting of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 she said, demonstrates how economy of gesture can generate musical flow.Yan described her admiration for conductors who favour simplicity over theatricality, using restrained movements to allow music to unfold naturally. Circular, unbroken gestures, she explained, can help sustain continuity and internal momentum, enabling an orchestra to project a unified musical landscape rather than fragmented effects.Ultimately, she said, effective conducting lies in cultivating an inner musical vision that embraces the whole score. When that inner world is complete, she added, it can be communicated effortlessly to musicians and audiences alike, even through the simplest of gestures. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klassikom.substack.com