KLASSIKOM=Innovations in classical music

Violinist Paloma So views the Verbier Festival as a “musical paradise,” a unique ecosystem where the world’s most elite artists, students, and fans converge to “take over” the town in a shared celebration of music. After first attending the Verbier Academy two years ago, So returned last year as a featured artist, finding that the festival’s true value lies in the profound sense of community and the proximity to the industry’s “best ears.”For So, the experience is a masterclass in professional discipline. Observing how top-tier musicians organize their rehearsals, act in real-time on stage, and reflect on their performances, whether through quiet study or social decompression. has fundamentally reshaped her own approach. She credits these short but intense encounters with making her a significantly better chamber musician, viewing music-making as a process of reflecting everything in one’s environment.This summer, So returns to the Alps to explore the “complex and intricate” quartets of Raykhelson and Medtner. These relatively under-programmed works offer a fresh challenge, maintaining a sheer elegance that So is eager to bring to life alongside her peers. As she prepares for this latest chapter, she remains driven by the anticipation of how the Verbier community will continue to transform her artistry.Interviewed on May 2nd, 2025 at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, China. 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

Between 2013 and 2015, I saw the final three operas of Wagner’s Ring cycle at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, conducted by Yu Feng, then Preisident of the China National Opera, and directed by Wang Huquan produced by the China National Opera. Because every leading role was sung by Chinese artists, the production quickly became known as the legendary “all-Chinese cast” Ring.For me, the significance of that project went far beyond novelty. It gave a generation of Chinese singers the rare opportunity to perform the complete Ring cycle, nurturing and establishing many of the country’s finest Wagnerians in the process. More importantly, it marked a historic breakthrough: a fully home-grown Chinese Ring production capable of standing on its own artistic merits.Yet after the new theatre of China National Opera was completed, this milestone production quietly disappeared from the company’s seasons. Over time, the “all-Chinese cast” Ring took on an almost mythical status - until Sunday evening at the Shanghai Symphony Hall, when Yu Feng returned with a hand-picked ensemble to present a three-hour concert version drawn from Die Walküre.Two bass-baritones were particularly remarkable. Most striking of all was the portrayal of Wotan, moving seamlessly from divine authority and rage to heartbreaking human vulnerability. In the third act, his farewell to Brünnhilde - sung by China’s leading Wagnerian soprano Wang Wei - was profoundly moving, the kind of performance that leaves the audience emotionally shattered.Under Yu Feng’s commanding direction, the combined force of Shanghai and Ninbo Symphony Orchestras recaptured the fire, discipline, and sheer dramatic intensity that defined the China National Opera Orchestra more than a decade ago. The refinement of the details was often breathtaking. When it comes to Wagner’s Ring, the national company still shows what the highest level of Chinese operatic forces can achieve.Hu Yifan, a guest of KLASSIKOM, shared her story performing and listening to Die Walküre.Filmed and interviewed on May 10, 2026 in Shanghai.This is a Chinese language programme with bilingual subtitles. 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

Following her recent concert tour to Guangzhou and Beijing, violinist Paloma So is returning to the United States to continue her studies at Harvard University. While the transition from the concert hall to the classroom might seem like a leap, So views her Ivy League education as vital nutrition for her growth as a musician.Though she is an economics major, So’s academic interests are vast and varied. She actively takes classes in government department and romance languages, specifically French, and everything from Roman history to cosmology.For So, this interdisciplinary path is essential because she believes that to be a great musician, one must first be a well-informed, well-read, and well-rounded human being. This liberal arts education provides her with a broader perspective, allowing her to see music as a small but profound representation of humanity and art within a ginormous world.So describes Harvard as an incredible and unique community that provides inspiration beyond the classroom. She highlights the privilege of being exposed to top-tier professors and even the occasional lunch with a Nobel Prize winner. Her peer group is equally diverse, consisting of talented actors, writers, and athletes who may one day lead the world.Her typical day mirrors that of many students - attending classes, catching up on work, and reading on the lawn. However, her schedule has a musical edge. Every Tuesday, she travels to the New England Conservatory for her violin lessons. She prefers to practice in the evenings or at night, as that is when she feels her brain is most active and she has the most to say musically.While some might see a double interest in economics and music as a fork in the road, So’s career goals have been fixed since childhood. She has always known she wanted to be a professional soloist, noting that the violin brings her immense joy and fulfillment. Rather than distracting from her musical path, she sees Harvard as a supplement that helps shape her into the artist she hopes to become.Interviewed on May 2nd, 2026 at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou. 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

In a recent performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Xinghai Concert Hall with Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Charles Dutoit, soloist Paloma So appeared visibly captivated by the score, her expression reflecting an amusement and focus that mirrored the music's intricate joy. Described as truly "otherworldly," this concerto was originally conceived while the composer was immersed in the natural beauty of the Ural Mountains. In this teaser, So explores the vivid, wintry imagery she carries throughout the 21-minute work:Atmospheric Contrasts: The music ranges from "gorgeous snowscapes" with glistening icicles to the intensity of a mountain hailstorm.The Demonic Center: The unconventional second movement—a technical and "demonic" vivacissimo—serves as a sharp departure from the surrounding movements, channeling a sense of resentment toward the world.Folklore and Dreamscapes: The work is bookended by movements inspired by Russian folklore, designed to transport the listener into another dimension.Ultimately, So views the concerto as a means of escape, moving beyond the technical demands to find a space of pure transportation.Interviewed on May 2nd, 2026 in Guangzhou. 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

After two months delay due to injury, Chopin Competition third prize winner Wang Zitong made her much anticipated recital debut at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre to an almost full house.Filmed on May 4th, 2026. 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

College student and English major Hu Yifan is a frequent guest of concerts, and an occasional stunt on opera stages playing muted roles like the little mermaid.Here's her take on the Jazz Spring lineup that featured six guitarists including expats Evgeny Pobozhiy and Ricardo Vogt.Accompanied by the big band named after Xu Zhihan, the programme paid tribute to jazz and guitar giants Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Guinga, Jesse van Ruller and Jim Hall.This is a Chinese language programme with Chinese subtitles.Filmed on May 3, 2026 at the West Bund Theatre in Shanghai, China. 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

Twenty-year-old violinist Paloma So gave a recital at the Xinghai Concert Hall just one day after her appearance with Charles Dutoit and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra performing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.In the recital she paired with pianist Rao Hao and played J.S. Bach, Szymanowski, Schubert, Prokofiev and Waxman. The duo encored a piece by Chinese composer Chen Gang.The programme will be repeated in Beijing in one week. 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

Largely finished in the West, the conducting career of Charles Dutoit has taken off in China ever since, who appeared last night at the Xinghai Concert Hall conducting a programme of Ravel, Prokofiev and Mendelssohn with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra.He was joined by Paloma So, the 20-year-old Harvard student in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.The same programme with be repeated in ten days in Beijing when Charles will conduct the China Philharmonic Orchestra with Paloma as the soloist.The large fanbase of the conductor in China can be best illustrated in the uninterrupted reel capturing the curtain call at the Xinghai Concert Hall after the concert last night. 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

An exclusive sneak into the world premiere of Die Walküre in a new production by Katharina Wagner at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Xu Zhong conducts the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and members of the Bayteuth Festival Orchestra.They are joined by an international cast.Die Walküre, WWV 86b: 3. Aufzug: Vorspiel und 1. Szene: Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha!Filmed on April 26, 2026. 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

Han Mo, known to many as Molly, spends her days in a rehearsal hall at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen). As a coach and piano teacher, she and her colleagues use two pianos to simulate a full symphonic orchestra for conducting students. It is a life defined by the rigorous architecture of classical music, yet her heart is often thousands of miles away, divided between the fractured landscapes of her past in Russia and the celestial silence of the stars.Molly’s connection to Russia is profound; she moved there at age twelve and eventually earned a doctorate, coming to consider the language almost a second mother tongue. But the Russia she remembers is changing under the weight of conflict. She describes a reality where the cost of living has doubled, with metro fares and apartment rents skyrocketing. Beyond the financial strain, a digital isolation has taken hold. Major social platforms and video sites are gone, replaced by less effective local alternatives, forcing her to connect with friends via Zoom or face the silence of Moscow’s “digital dark age”.For the musicians Molly knows, the world has become a complicated stage. She notes how legends like Gergiev and Matsuev have largely abandoned Western markets, while younger talents like Malofeev find themselves caught in the middle of a geopolitical tug-of-war. Others, like Pletnev, have made the difficult choice to leave the country entirely. To Molly, it is a reminder of history repeating itself, echoing the days when Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky sought refuge abroad. She observes that while music may be borderless, the musicians themselves are often weighted down by the “sin” of their nationality.To find clarity, Molly looks upward. A self-described astronomy enthusiast, her morning ritual begins not with the daily headlines, but with the NASA website. She was deeply moved by recent human missions to orbit the moon, finding solace in the perspective of a female astronaut who looked back at the Earth from the “infinite darkness”. That image of a solitary planet hanging in the void led to a singular realization: “Planet Earth, you are a crew”.In that cosmic view, Molly sees the ultimate symphony, a world where boundaries of race and nationality vanish. She questions why, if humans possess the capacity for peace and love, we do not choose it. As she closes her rehearsals, perhaps with the defiant chords of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” ringing in her mind, her message remains clear. Whether she is playing for a classroom in Shenzhen or tracking a satellite across the night sky, she is a member of that global crew, holding onto the hope that harmony can eventually transcend the noise of war.This is a Chinese language programme with Chinese subtitles.Filmed in Shenzhen on April 16, 2026. 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

Music by Zhou Long was presented in an interactive lecture-concert at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre on Tuesday, as part of the Hangzhou Spring Music Festival.The event featured the composer’s String Quintet arrangement of Eight Chinese Folk Songs, introduced through a lecture outlining the musical ideas and cultural context behind the work, followed by a two-part performance. Admission to the concert was free, drawing an engaged audience.In a moment of lively interaction, first violinist Liu Yang encouraged listeners to join in with the well-known melody of “Fangma Shange,” prompting the audience to echo its rhythmic calls. The exchange brought the folk material to life, offering listeners a direct and participatory experience of the music’s origins.Filmed on April 14, 2026 in Hangzhou. 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

A 16-year-old piano student from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Affiliated Secondary School shared her reflections after attending a concert by conductor Ivor Bolton and pianist Chen Sa with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at the Shanghai Concert Hall on Friday.Ji Qin Yaoyao, a first-year high school student, described the performance - marking the 270th anniversary of Mozart - as both “unique” and inspiring. The programme featured operatic overtures, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466, and the Symphony No. 36 “Linz.”“The orchestra was highly professional and had its own distinctive character,” Ji said. “There was a strong sense of logic in the music, yet within that structure, they expressed individuality. The whole performance felt very natural and comfortable to listen to.”She highlighted Chen’s interpretation of the concerto, recalling a masterclass she attended with the pianist in 2021. “Her playing is both gentle and strong,” Ji said. “The touch reminded me of a dragonfly’s wings trembling over the surface of water - each note clear, rounded and full.”Ji added that Chen’s performance, along with her stage presence, left a lasting impression, reinforcing her admiration for the pianist as both a musician and mentor.Reflecting on Mozart’s music more broadly, the young pianist said she is drawn to its “spiritual quality” and often chooses Mozart’s concertos, sonatas and variations in her own performances and competitions.“For us as students, whether playing chamber music or solo, we must learn to listen - to others and to ourselves,” she said. “Only then can we create a performance that truly belongs to us.”Ji said the concert deepened her appreciation for Mozart and left her with insights she hopes to carry into her own musical journey.This is a Chinese language programme with Chinese subtitles.Filmed in Shanghai on April 11, 2026. 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

A new production of The Magic Flute, co-produced by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, was staged at the Shangyin Opera House Thursday to Sunday, with the final performance closing the 41st Shanghai Spring International Music Festival.Led by artistic directors Liao Changyong and Ludwig Holtmeier, the production features an elite German creative team, including director Alexander Schulin and conductor Marius Stieghorst, who leads the SCM Symphony Orchestra.The production marked what some critics described as a notable introduction of “restoration theatre” principles to a major Chinese opera stage. While not all scenic elements were realised through manual means, the staging demonstrated that its visual effects could, in principle, be achieved using traditional rope-driven stagecraft, with lighting as the primary modern approach.In contrast to the prevailing large-scale aesthetic often seen in domestic productions — characterised by extensive lighting, complex machinery and multimedia spectacle — the performance favoured a more restrained visual language, foregrounding theatrical illusion and craft over sheer technological and ego display.Critics said the closing-night production offered a different perspective on operatic staging in China, and expressed hope that it may prompt reflection among stage directors and cultural policymakers on the balance between technical resources and artistic expression. 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

Huanglou Jazz Club in Hangzhou threw a swing party with music performed by vocalist Hetty Kate, Alec Haavik on the saxophone, Michael Compton on the keyboard, Harrison Wardley on the bass and Charles Foldesh on the drums.Filmed on April 6th, 2026 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China 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

Liao Changyong, the celebrated baritone and President of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SCM), unveiled an evolved new chapter of the “Chinese Art Song Centenary” series last night at Shanghai’s He Luting Concert Hall.Marking the sixth installment since the project’s inception six years ago, the recital featured the Shanghai debut of the Shangyin Soloists. This chamber ensemble provided a rich, instrumental reimagining of 19 songs spanning over a century of Chinese musical history. Over half of the repertoire was drawn from the 1920s and ’30, the formative decades when the Western Lied tradition first took root in China.Under the baton of Zhang Lu, Liao was joined on stage by a quartet of prize-winning young vocalists, including two baritones and two sopranos. Liao himself delivered seven songs throughout the evening, garnering thunderous, sustained applause.In a departure from the series’ traditional piano accompaniment, Liao’s introduction of a chamber ensemble represents a significant creative “upgrade.” Many of the works performed were selected by the young singers from a newly released songbook recently published by the SCM Press. European audiences will soon have the chance to experience this new format, as Liao and the Shangyin Soloists are scheduled to bring a similar programme to Germany this June. 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

Shanghai and Beijing based keyboardist and songwriter Strucky Yi performs at JZ Club in Shanghai with his quartet and remembers the hardship of musicians during Covid-19 in his own music composed from 2020-22 while studying in the United States.JZ Club ShanghaiApril 1, 2026 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

Under the baton of Hu Yongyan, MD of Anhui Orchestra, the symphony orchestra performed an outreach programme at the University of Science and Technology of China on the evening of March 26, 2026, with music by Beethoven including the first and final movements of the Symphony No. 5, and the third movement of the Piano Concerto No. 5. The soloist is Li Yuemeng.This is the first UMusic programme presented by Hu Yongyan during his tenure as MD aiming to attract audience of the younger generation. Hu was appointed MD of Anhui Orchestra's symphony orchestra at the end of 2025.The 2026 season opens tonight in Hefei. 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

For a touring musician, the rhythm of life is usually dictated by the metronome and the concert schedule. But for pianist Xue Yingjia, a faculty member of the Hong Kong Chinese University (Shenzhen) School of Music, the tempo was suddenly shattered by the opening salvos of a distant war.What was supposed to be a triumphant journey home from a three-nation tour turned into a 60-hour odyssey across four continents, fueled by adrenaline, “Force Majeure,” and a desperate longing for a shower.The U-Turn Over the AtlanticThe tour, titled “Light on the Strings,” had been a success. Led by Dean Ye Xiaogang, the ensemble traveled from the winter chill of China to the peak of summer in the Americas, performing contemporary Chinese works in Kansas City, Santo Domingo, and Buenos Aires.Eager to return for the start of the spring semester, Xue Yingjia booked an early flight on February 27th: an Emirates haul from Buenos Aires to Beijing via Rio, with a stop in Dubai.“I was half-asleep, about five hours into the flight from Rio,” he recalls. “The captain’s voice came over the intercom. It was solemn. Even before I processed the words, I knew something was wrong.”The announcement was blunt: Due to regional security concerns—the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war—the Middle Eastern airspace was closed. The plane was making a U-turn.“I looked at the flight map and saw that sharp, graceful arc. We had been so close to the African coast. To me, seeing Africa meant I was halfway home. Instead, I was headed back exactly where I started. Ten hours of flying for absolutely nothing.”Stranded in RioThe situation in Rio de Janeiro was a logistical nightmare. Because Brazil had not yet implemented visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, Xue was initially forbidden from deplaning. However, as the scale of the “Force Majeure” became clear, authorities granted a humane exception, stamping passports with special waivers so travelers could seek hotels.While others in the group chose to trust the airline’s promises of rerouting, Xue felt a surge of restless anxiety.“In a situation like that, you feel completely helpless. The sheer scale of war’s impact is staggering. Even though we were so far away, the fallout radiated out to us. I didn’t want to wait three days. I just wanted to go home.”In a frantic 30-minute window, he scoured booking platforms and secured a ticket that avoided the conflict zone entirely: Rio to Paris, then Paris to Shanghai.The Sound of HomeThe detour was grueling. After a 12-hour flight to France and an eight-hour layover in Paris, the exhaustion began to settle into his bones. But the turning point came at the boarding gate for China Eastern Airlines.“Seeing the ‘PVG’ (Pudong) code at the gate felt like a welcoming embrace,” Xue says. “But it was the flight attendants that did it. Some were from Shanghai. Hearing my home dialect made the psychological distance feel like it had vanished instantly. I knew then that nothing could stop me.”By the time he touched down in Xiamen, the physical toll of the journey had reached a comedic extreme.“I told a colleague: Do you realize it’s been 80 hours since I’ve had a shower? I felt like I had left the civilized world behind. The last time I went that long without bathing, I was a small child living in the old Shanghai quarters.”A Grim RealityLooking back, the frustration of the “wasted” flight has been replaced by a quiet sense of luck. Had the plane landed in Dubai, Xue might have been stranded near a zone of drone and missile strikes, facing even longer delays and security concerns.Now back in the classrooms of Shenzhen, the memories of the hot Caribbean sea breeze and the grand architecture of Buenos Aires’ Avenida de Mayo feel a world away. The experience has left him with a sobering perspective on the fragility of our global systems.“We forget the pain as soon as the wound heals,” he reflects. “But for those few days, ‘Force Majeure’ wasn’t just a legal term on a contract. It was a grim, serious reality. I pray for a world without war—because without it, we can all just find our way home.” 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

On the evening of 19 March, a concert dedicated to the teaching legacy of renowned composer Ye Xiaogang took place at the Concert Hall of the School of Music at Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen School of Music.Titled Ye Xiaogang Pedagogical Legacy Concert, the event brought together thirteen works by Ye and nine fellow composers, performed in a continuous programme without intermission. Eighteen leading instrumentalists and singers took part, presenting a wide-ranging repertoire that spanned nearly four decades. The earliest work dated back to 1986, while seven pieces were newly written between 2025 and 2026.A full house - including both music professionals and members of the public - reflected strong interest in the programme. Together, the works offered a glimpse into Ye’s musical aesthetics, while highlighting the striking diversity and evolving voices of his students.Best known internationally as a composer, Ye has also spent decades as an influential educator, holding senior academic positions at leading institutions across China. Yet much of his teaching career has unfolded behind the closed doors of classrooms and studios, rarely visible to the wider public.This concert offered a rare opportunity to bring that side of his work into focus.Speaking after the performance, Ye expressed both satisfaction and a sense of continuity. “Some of the students represented here date back to the 1980s, while others are studying with me now,” he said. “Seeing their growth and the level they have reached is deeply rewarding.”As founding dean of the music school at CUHK-Shenzhen, he also pointed to the significance of the occasion for the institution. “To see friends and colleagues come from across the country to support this concert - and to witness what the school has achieved today - I feel my efforts have not been in vain.”For three composers whose works were featured in the concert - Liu Chenchen, Wu Ruoxuan and Liu Xinlong - Ye’s influence extends far beyond technique.Liu Chenchen, who studied composition and piano under Ye at the Central Conservatory of Music in 1999, described the experience as formative in ways that continue to resonate decades later. “It has been more than twenty years since I left school,” he said, “but this concert brought back vivid memories of those lessons.”What stayed with him most, he noted, was not only the training in compositional craft, but a deeper shaping of artistic judgement. “Professor Ye’s teaching is highly focused and effective. Beyond technique, he refined my sense of musical and artistic aesthetics.”Wu Ruoxuan, a third-year undergraduate at CUHK-Shenzhen, emphasised the intensity of Ye’s teaching in the present day. In his classes, students bring in their own works for critique - a process she described as both demanding and transformative.For Liu Xinlong, currently a second-year doctoral student in composition, the experience of working with Ye came relatively recently. His featured piece was the first he developed under Ye’s guidance after beginning lessons in September last year.That process, he said, was both rigorous and collaborative, rooted in close, detail-oriented feedback.Across generations, a consistent thread emerges: Ye encourages individuality. Rather than imposing a fixed style, he pushes students to explore their own musical language, while guiding them with precision. 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

A conversation with pianist Yisa Lü reveals how the war in Iran and the Middle East has impacted the classical music industry and the life of a piano teacher half a globe away from Ground Zero.This is a Chinese language programme without subtitle.Interviewed in Hangzhou on March 11th, 2026 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

A conversation with pianist Yisa Lü reveals how appearance, expectation and respect collide in today’s concert culture.In classical music, the concert stage has long been regarded as a place where sound matters more than appearance. Technique, interpretation and musicianship are supposed to outweigh everything else. Yet in today’s performance market, where social media, visual culture and commercial promotion intertwine, the boundaries between music and image are becoming increasingly blurred.In a recent conversation taking place in Hangzhou on March 11th with pianist Yisa Lü, music critic Rudolph Tang encountered a story that illustrates how sharply that tension can surface.The incident itself was surprisingly simple.According to Lü, a colleague once told her about a concertgoer who demanded a refund after a performance. The reason was not poor playing, missed notes, or a flawed interpretation. Instead, the audience member complained that one of the musicians on stage did not meet his expectations in terms of appearance and physique.“He felt he didn’t get the enjoyment he expected,” Lü recalled. “Not because of the music, but because the performer’s looks were not what he imagined.”The explanation left both musicians and listeners stunned. In the classical tradition, criticism has always focused on sound. Whether the phrasing breathes, whether the structure holds, whether the emotion convinces — these are the questions performers prepare for. A refund request based on body image, however, belongs to a completely different category.Tang admits that the story shocked him as well. Over the years he has encountered concertgoers asking for refunds when performances failed to meet expectations. Such complaints, though rare, at least fall within the logic of artistic evaluation.“But because of a performer’s looks?” he said. “That’s something I had never even imagined as a possibility.”For Lü, the story triggered mixed feelings. On one hand, she acknowledges that the modern concert stage is no longer purely about sound. Audiences today experience performances not only with their ears but also with their eyes.“We are human beings,” she said. “People naturally like to see beautiful things.”Visual presentation has always been part of performance culture, but its importance has grown in recent years. Film-music concerts, crossover productions and visually themed programmes often rely on stage aesthetics, costumes and branding to attract broader audiences. Posters and promotional images circulate widely on social media before a single note is heard.In such an environment, appearance inevitably becomes part of the conversation.Yet Lü is also aware of the danger. Classical musicians typically spend decades honing technique and interpretation. Hours of practice, rehearsal and study shape what audiences eventually hear in the concert hall. To reduce that labour to a judgement about body shape can feel deeply unfair.“A performance involves so much preparation,” she explained. “Whether it’s a solo or chamber music, we spend a lot of time rehearsing, refining details, thinking about the arrangement. Naturally we hope that what we present receives basic respect.”That word respect soon became the centre of the conversation.Tang believes the issue reveals a delicate balance among three sides of the concert world: the audience, the artists and the market. Audience members have the right to express dissatisfaction. Presenters must respond to the expectations of ticket buyers. Performers, meanwhile, stand at the intersection of both pressures.When appearance becomes part of the evaluation, all three sides feel the impact.For performers, the psychological effect can be immediate. A comment about weight or appearance may linger longer than criticism about phrasing or tempo. Artistic shortcomings can be addressed through practice; body shaming strikes at a more personal level.At the same time, the story also reflects a broader cultural shift. In many industries — from film and television to social media influencers — visual appeal has become inseparable from professional identity. The concert stage is not immune.Some musicians respond by becoming more attentive to stage image, from dress to posture to physical fitness. Others worry that such expectations may gradually reshape the meaning of musical performance.For Tang, the real question lies in how the classical world chooses to interpret such incidents. Should appearance matter at all when evaluating a musician? Or is the stage inevitably a visual space where audiences bring aesthetic expectations alongside their ears?“There isn’t a simple answer,” he said. “Different people will interpret the same situation from different perspectives.”From the audience’s point of view, attending a concert can be a total experience, combining music, atmosphere and visual presence. From the performer’s point of view, however, the stage remains primarily a place for artistic expression.Somewhere between those two perspectives lies a fragile line.Lü ultimately hopes that the conversation sparked by such incidents may encourage reflection rather than judgement.Controversial stories, she believes, can sometimes play a constructive role. They prompt audiences, organisers and performers alike to reconsider their positions.“How should presenters respond if something like this happens?” she asked. “How should performers think about their image? And how should audiences react when they hear such a story?”In the end, the answer may return to the simplest principle of all: mutual respect.“The audience respects the artist,” Tang said. “The artist respects the market. And the market respects the audience.”If that balance holds, the concert stage can remain what it has always aspired to be - a place where music speaks first, even in a world increasingly fascinated with what it sees. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.During her years studying in Italy, soprano Song Qian, now the prima donna of the Shanghai Opera House, experienced a number of challenges living abroad, including incidents of theft and robbery.On one occasion, while walking at night and speaking on her mobile phone, the phone was suddenly snatched by a man she recalls as being nearly 1.9 metres tall. Instinctively, she began chasing him without thinking. At the time she often wore high heels, even though the streets were paved with uneven stone. Running in high heels across those cobblestones was difficult, but she chased the thief anyway.The man eventually ran down into a metro station, and Song followed him underground. However, once inside the station he disappeared among the many exits. She later learned that such thieves often operate in groups and quickly pass stolen items to accomplices, making them almost impossible to track.When she came back up to the street, people nearby told her that these criminals were repeat offenders and that it was unlikely the phone would ever be recovered. Even if the police were called, there was little chance of getting it back.Although she felt frustrated at first, Song later looked back on the experience with humour. She vividly remembers the moment when she had leapt down the metro stairs two steps at a time while chasing the thief. Afterwards she even tried measuring the distance between the steps to see how she had managed such a jump.Thinking about it later, she laughed at herself and realised that she had remained surprisingly optimistic despite the situation. Eventually she accepted the loss, went to Chinatown, and bought a cheap replacement.Looking back, she reflects on the incident as just one of the many unexpected experiences she encountered while living and studying in Italy in an interview conducted on December 6th, 2024 in Shanghai. 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

The third concert of the Americas tour by the Chamber Ensemble of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) School of Music, led by Professor Ye Xiaogang, was held on February 27th at the recital hall of Departamento de Artes Musicales y Sonoras (DAMuS) affiliated with the Universidad Nacional de las Artes UNA, Argentina. Among the distinguished guests in attendance were Wang Wei, Chinese Ambassador to Argentina, and José Manuel Serrano, Director of the Distat Music Festival.Earlier that afternoon, with the assistance of two Chinese–Spanish interpreters, the delegation from Shenzhen met with their Argentine counterparts for an academic exchange. The two deans, Prof Ye Xiaogang and Prof Cristina Vázquez, engaged in constructive and in-depth discussions on future inter-institutional collaboration and on the cultural and musical significance of tango.With this concert, the three performances of the Americas tour under the theme “Light on the Strings” have now taken place in the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina. Through these appearances, the composers and performers have brought contemporary music by living Chinese composers to audiences across the Americas. 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

The second concert of the Americas tour by the Chamber Ensemble of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) School of Music, led by Professor Ye Xiaogang, was held at the 700-seat Palacio de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic on the evening of February 24th. The event drew a distinguished audience that included government officials, and the hall was filled with enthusiastic applause throughout the evening.The program differed slightly from the ensemble’s earlier performance in Kansas City, USA. A new work by young composer Yu Pengfei received its world premiere, marking a highlight of the concert.An especially vibrant moment came with Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango, led by erhu soloist Li Cangxiao. The cross-cultural interpretation seemed to set the tone for the ensemble’s onward journey, infusing the tour with energy and momentum.One day before the concert, the delegation of musicians were received in a reception hosted by the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr Chen Luning at the Chinese Embassy. 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

Today the touring ensembke from CUHKMus found itself far from the concert hall, wandering through the historic old quarter of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. Cobblestone streets, pastel façades, and the steady hum of Caribbean life set the scene. At Columbus Square, beneath the open sky, a street violinist was playing - his melody floating easily through the warm summer air.The sunlight was generous, almost theatrical. Between the glow of the afternoon and the easy pulse of music in the plaza, spirits lifted quickly. What happened next was entirely unplanned.He Shucong, one of the violinists from the ensemble, caught up in the atmosphere, approached the street musician and asked if he might borrow the instrument. With a smile and without hesitation, the violin changed hands. What followed was an impromptu, completely unorganized flash performance - no stage, no programme notes, no rehearsal.The visiting violinist began to play.Tourists strolling through the square slowed their steps. Conversations softened. Within moments, a small crowd gathered, drawn not by publicity but by curiosity. The sound - familiar yet different - seemed to bridge distances instantly. Some listeners held up their phones. Others simply stood and listened. When the final phrase dissolved into the afternoon air, applause broke out warmly and spontaneously.It was a fleeting encounter: musician to musician, stranger to stranger, culture to culture. No banners announced the collaboration. No translation was needed. The exchange was carried entirely by sound.The video capturing the moment reflects two sides of Santo Domingo’s vibrant character. The first half was filmed on Sunday the 22nd, during carnival festivities, when the city overflowed with color, rhythm, and celebration. The second half was recorded the following Monday in daylight, offering a calmer glimpse of the same square - proof that music, whether amid carnival exuberance or weekday stillness, finds its place.For the touring musicians, accustomed to formal venues and carefully structured programmes, the episode offered something different: a reminder that music lives just as fully in public squares as it does in concert halls. Under the Caribbean sun, in front of Columbus Square, art briefly shed its institutional frame and returned to its simplest form - a shared human impulse to play, to listen, and to connect.Sometimes the most memorable performances are the ones that were never planned. 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

On the afternoon of the 20th, from 1 to 3 p.m., Professor Ye Xiaogang addressed faculty and students, primarily from the composition department, at Studio 512 of the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where his touring delegation had just arrived.Speaking entirely in English, Ye shared reflections on navigating different creative contexts: from the freedom of purely personal composition to the demands of major commissions, film and television scoring, and institutional or state-commissioned projects. Throughout, he emphasized the importance of remaining true to one’s artistic nature and inner authenticity, while also being mindful of musical language, stylistic orientation, and communicative intent.The lecture offered students a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of China’s most prominent composers about the balancing act between individual expression and external expectation - a subject of particular resonance for young composers preparing to enter an increasingly global profession.That evening, the ensemble of CUHKMus Shenzhen presented the first concert of its American tour. Titled Light on the Strings, the chamber music programme featured works by Ye Xiaogang, Chen Yi, and Yu Pengfei, among others.The concert marked the delegation’s formal artistic debut on this American leg of the tour. The programme highlighted a range of contemporary Chinese compositional voices, brought to life by an ensemble of performers traveling from Asia.Kansas City–based music critic Paul Horsley attended the performance and praised the concert’s artistic quality, describing it as compelling and finely delivered. He noted, however, that stronger publicity could help attract a broader mainstream audience and allow more listeners to benefit from such programming.The lecture was delivered in English without subtitles. 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

At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, an unique Guanyin sculpture stands as one of the institution’s most treasured masterpieces.Ye Xiaogang, composer of the television drama Jade Guanyin and the violin rhapsody of the same title, slowed his pace as he approached the wooden Bodhisattva figure, carved during China’s Jin dynasty. The encounter felt like a moment of quiet recognition across centuries.Behind the Guanyin hangs a Yuan dynasty mural, Assembly of the Buddhas. Above, an exquisitely carved Ming dynasty nanmu wood ceiling panel crowns the space with intricate refinement. In this carefully curated architectural dialogue - Jin sculpture, Yuan painting, Ming woodwork - Chinese sacred art unfolds in layered continuity, now housed in the American Midwest.The visit formed part of a broader cultural exchange. Representatives and administrators from the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Missouri–Kansas City met to discuss potential collaboration between the two music institutions.During the meeting, Dean Ye Xiaogang of the Chinese side held cordial talks with Courtney Crappell, Dean of the UMKC Conservatory. The two exchanged gifts in a gesture of mutual respect. Crappell also invited Ye to tour the model of a new building currently under development, offering a glimpse into the conservatory’s future expansion.In this sequence - from a centuries-old Guanyin in Kansas City to discussions about new academic partnerships - past and present seemed quietly intertwined. Art, scholarship, and diplomacy converged in a shared space where cultural heritage and contemporary creativity met face to face. 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

Led by Ye Xiaogang, a delegation of fourteen performers, administrators, and composer-representatives from the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong converged from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul before crossing hemispheres - from East to West - to San Francisco. After lengthy delays, they arrived in Kansas City late last night. Their purpose was clear: to sound a rallying call for contemporary Chinese music across the Americas.Their mission is both artistic and symbolic. Over the coming days, they will present chamber works by some of China’s most established composers alongside emerging voices, offering audiences a rare opportunity to encounter the inner landscapes of artists living and working in China today. The aim is not merely to export repertoire, but to open a doorway, to illuminate what preoccupies, troubles, and inspires composers operating within China’s complex cultural environment, including those working squarely within the mainstream.In Western discourse, Chinese composers are often reduced to two categories. The first comprises émigré composers, those who live and work in Europe or North America, who have absorbed Western democratic values and whose music is sometimes framed as subtly oppositional or culturally hybrid. The second includes composers who remain in China, whose works are too easily dismissed as instruments of state ideology or cultural messaging.This binary is convenient. It allows observers to sort artistic output into familiar narratives of exile and compliance, resistance and propaganda. But it is also reductive.There is, I would argue, a third way.It is true that many composers in China hold academic posts in public conservatories and universities. They operate within the establishment shaped by ideological oversight and cultural regulation. These constraints are real and should not be minimized. Yet to assume that creative life within such structures is monolithic is to misunderstand both artists and art itself.Within those same institutions are composers who wrestle with personal memory, philosophical doubt, spiritual longing, and formal experimentation. They negotiate boundaries, sometimes cautiously, sometimes boldly. They engage with tradition, modernism, and global currents not merely as policy dictates, but as artistic necessity. They may not articulate dissent in overtly political terms, but neither are they passive transmitters of doctrine.Artistic conscience does not vanish under pressure; it adapts. It finds coded language, metaphor, abstraction. It finds chamber music, intimate, interior, resistant to grand narratives. In this sense, the delegation’s tour is more than a showcase. It is a quiet assertion that creative agency persists even in constrained environments.The Western temptation to read every score through a geopolitical lens risks obscuring what music does best: reveal the complexity of human interiority. Contemporary Chinese composers are neither simply assimilated cosmopolitans nor mouthpieces of the state. Many inhabit a more ambiguous, more fragile, and ultimately more interesting space.If this tour succeeds, it will not be because it corrects political assumptions. It will succeed if audiences listen closely enough to hear the multiplicity within a single cultural sphere, and recognize that conscience, like music, often speaks most powerfully in nuance rather than declaration. 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

The 54th Istanbul Music Festival will return from 11 to 25 June 2026 with an ambitious programme uniting leading orchestras, acclaimed soloists and bold new commissions under the theme “Here & Now.” Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Borusan Holding, the festival stands as Türkiye’s longest-established classical music event and one of the region’s most respected cultural institutions.Founded in 1973, İKSV has played a defining role in shaping Istanbul’s international cultural profile. In addition to the Music Festival, it presents the city’s film, theatre and jazz festivals, the Istanbul Biennial and numerous year-round initiatives supporting artistic production, education and cultural policy. Over five decades, the Istanbul Music Festival has hosted many of the world’s most distinguished orchestras and artists, cementing its reputation as a major meeting point between Turkish and international musical life.This year’s edition, built around the idea of music’s ephemeral nature, invites audiences to experience performances that exist only in the present moment. Across 22 concerts in 14 venues throughout the city, more than 80 artists and ensembles will appear in settings ranging from the Atatürk Cultural Centre to historic churches and open-air landmarks.Among the headline attractions are the Wiener Symphoniker, visiting Istanbul as part of their 125th anniversary celebrations. Under chief conductor Petr Popelka, the orchestra will present two programmes at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. Pianist Bruce Liu joins them for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 alongside Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great.” The following evening, cellist Kian Soltani will feature in an all-Dvořák programme including the Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” and the Cello Concerto in B minor.The festival opens on 11 June with the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov and Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov. The programme pairs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, setting an expansive tone for the fortnight ahead.Chamber music forms another cornerstone of the programme. Kammerakademie Potsdam appears with Dutch piano duo Lucas and Arthur Jussen in a wide-ranging programme from Haydn and Mozart to Ravel. Countertenor Iestyn Davies joins the Berlin Soloists in a concert tracing themes of love and loss through the centuries, featuring the world premiere of a new work by Donghoon Shin co-commissioned by the festival. Another premiere, Maison Lâle by Kaan Bulak, promises an immersive experience drawing on Anatolian ritual and European cultural memory.The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra will present a tribute to Ennio Morricone under Dirk Brossé, bringing the composer’s cinematic sound world into the concert hall.Beyond its headline concerts, the festival continues its commitment to accessibility and education. The “Women Stars of Tomorrow” initiative supports emerging female musicians, while children’s workshops under the “First Steps in Art” programme introduce younger audiences to music in creative settings. A new “Relaxed Concert” format will offer an inclusive listening environment designed to welcome neurodivergent audiences.With its blend of international prestige, local heritage and forward-looking commissions, the Istanbul Music Festival once again affirms its authority as a cultural landmark in Türkiye, also within the wider European and global classical music calendar. 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

Interview conducted on March 17, 2025, in Bergen during the Borealis Festival.This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.KLASSIKOM: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest work.Tze Yeung Ho: My name is He Ziyang (Tze Yeung Ho). I am a composer working primarily in Norway and Finland; my parents are from Hong Kong. Recently, my opera Nara, for which I wrote the music, was performed at the Borealis Festival. The libretto was written by my longtime collaborator, the Norwegian writer Lina Gabrielsson. We have worked together for many years.About three years ago, we began asking ourselves what an opera on a Chinese subject might look like. We started searching for an appropriate historical theme. Initially, I suggested the story of Empress Dowager Cixi. Lina then undertook extensive historical research, including the period surrounding the Eight-Nation Alliance.Gradually, however, she found herself less drawn to the grand narrative of war and more intrigued by the question of the abolition of foot-binding. In the vast sweep of Chinese history, this might seem a small detail, yet it profoundly shaped the lives of women. Within the enormity of historical events, it is precisely such intimate, embodied practices that can produce the deepest transformations.I have been interested in Chinese history since childhood. Although I did not grow up in the mainland and therefore encountered history differently from those educated there, I have always felt a spontaneous urge to explore my cultural and historical inheritance.Before writing this opera, had you composed other chamber operas?Yes. In 2019, I took part in a composition competition at the Shanghai New Music Week (re-branded as Shanghai New Music Festival since 2023), where I collaborated with several young musicians from Shanghai to create a chamber opera titled Woodford Pierson. Its original Norwegian title is HVORFOR PUSEN?, meaning “Why Pussycat?”That work also addressed questions related to women’s experience. The original author wrote the book after having a child with Down syndrome. In Norway, a mother has the legal right to decide whether to carry such a pregnancy to term. The book poses a series of difficult questions about whether or not to have the child. Although the author knew inwardly that he would choose to keep the child, he wished to explore the psychological and ethical dilemmas a mother faces in making that decision.Both Woodford Pierson and Nara engage with women’s themes. Why does this subject particularly interest you?To a large extent, this is due to Lina’s influence. Much of her writing revolves around motherhood. I began collaborating with her in 2017, when I was pursuing my master’s degree in Oslo. At that time, she was already writing books centered on maternal experience. Through our collaboration, these themes naturally became part of my own creative landscape.We work very well together. Beyond opera, we have completed projects in other forms. She appreciates that I approach subjects with openness, and I am always willing to explore new directions in my music.You had your first opera in Shanghai in 2019 and your second six years later in Bergen. Compared to the first, in what ways have you grown?The greatest development lies in my understanding of language and poetic expression — particularly in how to shape rhythm and prosody in Norwegian. The musical setting of text is crucial.The two operas differ significantly in theme and form. With each project, we experiment with new structures, new musical vocabularies, and new literary approaches. Our overall method remains exploratory and experimental.Do you enjoy working in the chamber opera format?Very much so. Compared with the institutional framework of large opera houses, chamber opera is far more flexible. I can participate in choosing the singers, collaborating artists, and other creative details. In traditional opera houses, many collaborators are pre-assigned. Chamber opera allows greater freedom to work with people who share similar artistic visions.Why is this opera titled Nara?The name is layered with meaning. In Manchu, “Nara” may relate to words such as “sun” or “river.” It also evokes Nora, the heroine of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Furthermore, Cixi’s clan name was Yehe Nara, which contains “Nara.” The title therefore operates as a kind of pun, holding multiple resonances at once.The opera is set during the Qing dynasty. Did you incorporate Chinese musical elements?Yes. In the sections depicting two imperial edicts issued by Cixi, I drew on the style of Cantonese nanyin. Some melodic material was also inspired by a song written by Wanrong, the last empress of China. Wanrong was herself a composer and wrote a piece about a kite. I found the song online. It may not be widely known, but the image of the kite struck me as particularly evocative.In the opera, there is a fictional young girl who encounters Cixi, and together they fly a kite. The melody associated with the kite thus became a significant source of inspiration.Besides nanyin and the guzheng, Western instruments are also used. How do you combine Chinese and Western elements?The integration is closely related to language — especially the rhythm and tonal contours of Cantonese. I collaborated with an ensemble called Yi Cai Luo Gu, and together we experimented continuously with different sonic combinations. I would propose ideas; they would respond as to whether something was feasible. The entire process unfolded step by step, through trial, adjustment, and refinement. There is no fixed formula.The premiere used both Norwegian and Cantonese. If the opera tours outside Norway, would you consider performing it in English?We have discussed this within the team. Some feel that Norwegian is particularly appropriate. Historically, the Nordic countries were not part of the Eight-Nation Alliance. Using Norwegian creates a certain historical distance. If we were to use English, audiences might immediately associate the story with Britain or other imperial powers, which would alter the perspective. Norwegian offers a more oblique vantage point.The opera has now been performed twice. What are your plans going forward?The Hong Kong New Music Ensemble has expressed interest in presenting it in Asia, though no specific venue has been confirmed. Since our team members are based in different countries, coordination is not simple. Hong Kong is a strong possibility, as the Cantonese elements resonate with the local cultural context. Singapore could also be an option, but nothing has been finalized.The opera features a mezzo-soprano and a countertenor. The countertenor portrays the eunuch An Dehai. Was this casting symbolic?Yes, very much so. Historically, the countertenor voice developed from the tradition of castrato singers, which bears a symbolic resonance with the identity of a eunuch. I have known the singer portraying An Dehai, Sean Bell, for some time and am familiar with his vocal and theatrical strengths. I felt this role suited him exceptionally well. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.Yan Siyi likes to joke that she became a conductor by accident.The 20-something musician from Shaxian, a small county in Sanming, Fujian province, did not grow up dreaming of standing before a symphony orchestra. She studied piano in secondary school. During preparations for conservatory entrance exams, she became interested in composition. It was only after a teacher’s assessment and suggestion that she shifted toward conducting — a field she barely understood at the time.“I just knew it was difficult,” she recalls. “Comprehensive. Demanding.”What conducting truly meant would reveal itself only later.Yan completed her undergraduate studies at Xinghai Conservatory of Music and is now pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The discipline may sound lofty, even slightly intimidating, but her own path toward it was anything but grand.Learning to Hear in Three DimensionsGrowing up in a small county town, Yan rarely had the chance to attend live symphonic performances. Her understanding of orchestral sound came largely from videos and classroom instruction. The first time she stood on a podium in front of a full symphony orchestra, she describes the experience as overwhelming.“The sound came from everywhere,” she says. “It was completely different from rehearsing with two pianos.”If the piano can present structure and harmony, the orchestra adds color, dimension, and spatial depth. The breathing of the strings, the texture of the woodwinds, the tension of the brass — each reshapes the music’s trajectory. A piano reduction might clarify the score, but it does not teach one how to command an orchestra.Developing a sense of timbre and sonic architecture became one of her earliest lessons.She compares reading a full score to reading classical Chinese — densely compressed, highly coded language that must first be understood before it can be translated into living sound. A conductor must grasp the composer’s intent, perceive structural logic, build an overarching conception, and ultimately communicate that vision through rehearsal.It is translation work in the deepest sense — intellectual, technical, and psychological.Her passion for conducting grew gradually through study. It is a discipline that demands technical precision, theoretical knowledge, communication skills, and emotional steadiness in equal measure. When a fascination becomes a profession, however, it brings pressure and moments of doubt. There have been times, she admits, when exhaustion led her to question whether she could commit to this path for life.Yet whenever she reopens a score, the focus returns.Competition: Preparation, Luck, and AbsorptionThe inaugural Young Conductors Conference founded by conductor Yongyan Hu marked Yan’s first experience in a major conducting competition. After preliminary selection, masterclasses, and multiple competitive rounds, she advanced to the final five and was awarded the Best Conductor Prize.She is reluctant to attribute the result solely to personal excellence. The differences among participants were slight, she says; many were outstanding. Success required preparation, but also an element of chance.Drawing a piece that suited her musical temperament helped. She was assigned a movement from Dvořák — rich in emotional contrast, balancing lyricism with surging momentum — a combination that aligned naturally with her expressive instincts. Yet repertoire alone does not determine outcome.Equally decisive was her ability to absorb guidance quickly. During the forum, several distinguished mentors offered feedback. The challenge was not simply to listen but to internalize their suggestions and apply adjustments immediately in the next rehearsal. Conducting competitions test far more than musical ideas; they demand time management, adaptability, and collaborative leadership.Equally valuable was observing her peers. Watching other conductors rehearse revealed both strengths and blind spots. Through comparison, she became aware of her own potential weaknesses — often in small details that might otherwise go unnoticed.Growth, she discovered, frequently lies in correcting subtleties.A Woman on the PodiumConducting has long been a male-dominated profession. Early in her studies, Yan encountered occasional bias — situations in which male students were favored under similar conditions. Yet she does not see this as the defining reality of her experience, nor as a fixed condition.The industry is changing.Attributes such as height, presence, or physical stature were once considered advantages on the podium. But in practice, she believes, musical authority depends on professional competence rather than outward appearance.A conductor stands before a group of highly trained musicians, many with decades of experience. Building a productive working relationship requires clarity of role. A conductor is neither a distant authoritarian nor a passive coordinator. The role is closer to that of a project leader — someone responsible for shaping a shared artistic goal.The required skills fall into two broad categories. The first includes foundational training: ear training, orchestration, formal analysis, and full-score reading. The second is practical: diagnosing problems in real time, proposing solutions, and communicating them effectively.Authority, she suggests, is less about dominance than about responsibility and judgment.Masters and MinimalismWhen asked about her idols, Yan does not name a single towering figure. Instead, she is drawn to specific interpretive moments.One such example is Myung-Whun Chung’s interpretation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. What impressed her was the economy of gesture. There was no theatrical flourish, no exaggerated display — yet the music flowed with clarity and internal momentum.“The movements looked simple,” she says, “but inside them was structure and direction.”For her, this restraint carries profound power. Conducting gestures need not be elaborate; what matters is whether they truly embody the music. The simpler the exterior, the richer the internal intention.Her mentor, Hu Yongyan, has similarly emphasized that even a seemingly circular hand motion serves to sustain the broader musical line. Mature expression, he teaches, allows all elements to converge naturally rather than fracture under isolated emphasis.Beyond the PrizeFrom Shaxian to the professional podium, Yan Siyi’s path contains no dramatic myth. Instead, it reflects steady accumulation.She does not rush to define her future in grand terms. The championship, she insists, is only a stage of affirmation. The real work continues — between the printed score and the living orchestra.She may have “stumbled” into conducting, but through rehearsal after rehearsal, page after page of score study, she has found direction. Perhaps precisely because she began without a grand blueprint, she has allowed the practice itself to shape her.The prize marks a milestone. The larger question — how to become not just a conductor, but a musician of depth and integrity — remains open, unfolding with every new score she lifts to the stand. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.To many observers, the conductor stands at the center of the stage, commanding the orchestra and shaping the entire musical event — the most visible, even glamorous, presence in the concert hall.For Hu Yongyan, however, the essence of conducting has little to do with spotlight or aura.“It is,” he suggests, “a long discipline of cultivation.”Failure as the Essential TeacherHu has long maintained that failure is not an incidental detour in a conductor’s career but an integral part of the art itself.The path is notoriously unforgiving. Workshops, competitions, orchestral auditions — the rate of rejection far exceeds that of success. Being turned down, compared, evaluated, and re-evaluated is the norm rather than the exception. What determines whether a young conductor can endure, Hu believes, is not a single triumph but the capacity to respond constructively to disappointment.Growth rarely emerges from smooth ascent. It is forged in recalibration — in the quiet decision to persist after yet another setback.This conviction partly inspired Hu to establish the Young Conductors Conference at the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The second edition, held from January 18 to 21 in Nanning, Guangxi, sought to address what he sees as a structural gap in traditional conducting education.Classroom instruction, he notes, often remains confined to technical analysis. But real training must occur in front of an orchestra. Without the feedback of living sound, learning to conduct is like learning to swim on dry land.The forum provides young conductors with the opportunity to work directly with professional orchestras, completing substantial repertoire within limited rehearsal time. The intensity is deliberate. It tests not only musical preparation but psychological resilience.Today’s professional environment moves at accelerating speed. Rehearsal periods are shorter, expectations of efficiency higher. A contemporary conductor must operate, Hu says, with the precision of a finely tuned machine — forming judgments quickly, communicating clearly, and making artistic decisions under pressure.Yet above efficiency stands inner stability. Only those who have come to terms with failure can remain lucid when facing the real stage.A Profession Often MisunderstoodConducting, Hu observes, is also a profession persistently misunderstood.Audiences see the gestures — the raised hands, the shaping of phrases — but rarely the complex web of relationships and institutional structures behind them. A conductor must navigate not only the artistic discernment of orchestral musicians but also administrative systems and decision-making processes. In many institutions, hiring and invitations involve individuals outside the artistic sphere.Acceptance or rejection, therefore, is not determined solely by musical ability.This reality places conductors under dual pressure: they must earn the trust of musicians while also establishing understanding with management and stakeholders.Communication, in Hu’s view, lies at the heart of the profession. The baton is a language. Verbal guidance in rehearsal is a language. Conversations with administrators are equally a language.Such communication is not performance in the theatrical sense. It is an expression of character.A conductor must be humble yet stand in a position of authority; respectful toward the orchestra yet decisive at critical moments. Maintaining that balance is less a technical skill than a way of being.Above all, Hu emphasizes sincerity. In rehearsal, any hint of artificiality is quickly detected. Musicians possess acute sensitivity to authenticity; bluster and posturing cannot sustain trust.For Hu, the conductor has only one true identity: musician. Technique, style, and personal flair must serve the work itself — never become vehicles for self-display.Every Score an Unfinished QuestionDiscussing the repertoire selected for this year’s forum — classical and Romantic symphonic works — Hu resists treating them as settled monuments.He prefers to regard each score as an ongoing question.Whether one considers the structural architecture of Beethoven or the emotional intensity of Tchaikovsky, there is no final interpretation. Each era, each orchestra, each conductor reveals new perspectives.For Hu, fidelity to the composer’s text remains the point of departure. He begins with the original score, studies its historical and stylistic context in depth, and only then shapes a personal interpretation. His approach resembles that of a researcher as much as a performer.Music, in this view, is not a dazzling spectacle but a patient inquiry. Genuine passion is not external exuberance but the sustained capacity to delve deeper.Between failure and misunderstanding, between efficiency and sincerity, Hu Yongyan sketches a clear orientation for the art of conducting: first become a true musician. Only then does everything else — authority, success, recognition — acquire meaning. 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

Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra presented its first Lunar New Year concert by performing Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre on February 6th.Maestro Zhang Liang, deputy director and Chief Conductor of the orchestra, assembled local operetta stars including baritone Zhou Zhengzhou, mezzo Lu Yunfei (in her role debut as the Prince) and a chorus affiliated to a normal university. Conversations were removed for an opera in concert performance laser focused on the music.The Lunar New Year’s Concert in Shanghai has been a brand hold dear by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra’s sold out first entry proved both a marketing and an artistic try out. 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

Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai presented an evening of jazz, vintage songs, folk music, and pop-inflected fusion, led by Huang Ye and performed by his band alongside a string quartet from Senza New Strings.Titled Jazzical, the programme marked Huang’s latest and most recent instalment in his ongoing exploration of “Shanghai-style” jazz, shaped by the city’s long history of cultural exchange and musical cross-pollination. Enhanced by laser projections and a large screen, the performance was staged as a special event hosted by JALCSH in celebration of the upcoming Year of the Horse in the Lunar calendar.Walter Blanding, JALC’s Ambassador to Shanghai, who relocated to the city four months ago, opened the evening with remarks that seamlessly blended English and Chinese greetings.His presence and residency have been widely regarded as a boost to JALCSH’s artistic profile, enriching both its roster and overall musical standards. 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

Yesterday afternoon Siria Cold Air, an indie band founded in late 2025 in Shanghai, performed in an exclusive event to some 20 guests in an office building in the town.The band is among the few indie bands with an active touring schedule. Zia, a percussion postgraduate from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, made her debut on the drums, together with a guitarist, a vocalist and a versitile flautist.Filmed on February 7, 2026. 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

Norwegian Sami band KEiiNO travelled to China for the first time and performed at the residence of the Consul General of Norway to Shanghai last night.They were joined by Totem, a Shanghai based Mongolian traditional music band who were guest performing at the salon. They two bands jammed together in KEiiNO’s signature songs including Spirit in the Sky, Monument, Unbreakable and Damdiggida while the two lead singers jolking, throat singing or even rapping to each other.The event is also intended as a celebration of the upcoming Sami Day on February 6th. 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

This is a Chinese language programme with Chinese subtitles.A short video released by the Beijing Chinese Orchestra this week has gone viral across Chinese social media, posing a deliberately absurd question to musicians and staff: if the orchestra’s president fell into a river, would you jump in to save him?The answer, delivered unanimously and without hesitation, is no.The video, produced and released within days, features players, administrators, accountants, conductors and stage managers responding to the same hypothetical scenario involving the orchestra’s newly appointed president, Wu Xuhai. Each refusal comes with a deadpan explanation rooted in professional duty or institutional rules.A wind player explains that his breath capacity is a “fixed asset” of the orchestra and must be preserved for performances. A musician says the president himself has instructed everyone to focus on their own work. A stage manager insists that “the show comes before everything else.” Finance staff ask which budget line the rescue would fall under and whether the paperwork has been approved.One manager first asks whether the river is in Beijing or outside the capital. If it is elsewhere, she says, an official permit would be required before travelling out of the city to attempt a rescue - a reference to the administrative procedures that apply to employees of state-funded cultural institutions.Another staff member warns that anyone who has been near water is not allowed into the rehearsal room, citing internal rules that prohibit bringing water into performance spaces.The humour lies in the accumulation of such responses. While the premise is clearly satirical, the justifications reflect real operating principles inside China’s public funded performing arts organisations: performance schedules are paramount, assets are regulated, procedures are formalised, and individual initiative is secondary to institutional discipline.According to the orchestra, the video was conceived, shot and released in under a week. It is among the first public-facing initiatives under Wu’s leadership and highlights a lighter, more self-aware side of an ensemble whose average age is under 35. The Beijing Chinese Orchestra is a state-run cultural institution, part of China’s public-service system, where employees are subject to detailed rules governing safety, budgeting, travel and professional conduct.Such organisations are more commonly associated with seriousness than humour. Yet the video suggests a shift in how orchestras communicate with the public, using comedy to demystify how they function while reinforcing core values. “Performance comes first, discipline comes first,” is the unspoken refrain running through every punchline.Similar strategies have been adopted by other Chinese orchestras in recent years, particularly through short-form video platforms, as ensembles compete for attention beyond the concert hall. The aim is not simply virality but visibility: using approachable content to draw new audiences toward live performances and classical repertoire.For viewers, the clip offers both entertainment and insight. For the orchestra, it doubles as a statement of institutional culture. And for Wu Xuhai, it serves as an unusual but effective introduction to leadership - one in which no one, at least hypothetically, is above the rules.The video ends with one unanswered question, left hanging for audiences to ponder: does the president actually know how to swim? 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

Rickshaw Boy, the operatic opus magnum by Guo Wenjing, received its concert premiere last night at Qingdao People’s Hall.The Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, joined by the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra Chorus, was conducted by Zhang Guoyong, music director of both ensembles. The performance also marked the closing of the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 season and coincided with the 60th anniversary of the death of Lao She, China’s pre-eminent novelist whose work inspired Guo’s opera.A star-studded cast took part in the concert performance, notably soprano Zhou Xiaolin, tenor Han Peng, baritone Sun Li and bass Guan Zhijing.Commissioned by Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts in 2014, Rickshaw Boy received its world premiere there the same year. A revised version was staged at the NCPA in 2015, followed by a tour in Italy, making it one of the few NCPA commissions to reach an international audience.With its dark and bleak narrative and highly expressive musical language, the opera later fell out of favour after a change of leadership at the NCPA around 2016. The Qingdao concert therefore marked a significant return of Rickshaw Boy to the stage. 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

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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.Chinese conductor Xu Leyuan swept all major conducting prizes at the Second Young Conductors’ Conference, a rare national platform for emerging conductors in mainland China.Xu, who studied conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is now pursuing a master’s degree at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Conservatory (CUHKMus), won both the Best Conductor Award from the jury and the Orchestra Favourite Award, decided by the musicians of the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra.“It’s a rare and invaluable opportunity for young conductors to work so closely with a professional orchestra,” Xu said after the awards ceremony. “The orchestra’s openness and support made this an intensely rewarding experience.”The forum, held from Jan. 18 to 21 in Nanning, was founded by veteran conductor Hu Yongyan in 2025. It combines awards, masterclasses, lectures and public rehearsals. It is organised by CUHK-Shenzhen Conservatory of Music and is considered one of the few structured conducting selection mechanisms in mainland China, comparable in format to the Salzburg Young Conductors Award.Five finalists - Xu Leyuan, Xing Hao, Fan Muhan, Chen Hongjun and Xin Mucong - advanced to the final round and appeared at the closing concert at the Guangxi Concert Hall, conducting repertoire including Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and excerpts from Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Violinist He Shucong was the soloist.Xu said the competitive process itself was a learning experience. “From the initial selection of 15 candidates, we all learned from one another in different ways,” she said. “It was an honour to be part of that.”Her win also carried symbolic weight. Xu is the second woman to claim the forum’s top prize since its launch, following Yan Siyi, winner of the inaugural edition in Shenzhen in 2025.“It shows that women in China, and around the world, are emerging with new artistic strength and individuality,” Xu said. “We each have our own style, our own voice.”Born into a musical family, Xu has previously assisted on symphonic projects and conducted opera productions including excerpts from Madama Butterfly and La Bohème. In 2025, she led the mainland China premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera The Telephone. She has also worked with orchestras including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and several leading Chinese symphony ensembles.Mainland China has held few nationwide conducting competitions in recent years, in contrast to Hong Kong and Japan, where international conducting contests are held regularly. Organisers say the Young Conductors’ Forum helps fill that gap by offering sustained evaluation, rehearsal time and professional exposure.“Everything that has helped me, and even the setbacks that shaped me, has been part of the journey,” Xu said. “What matters is staying true to your original purpose and continuing to strive higher.” 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

Chinese American conductor Hu Yongyan is the founder of the CUHKMus Young Conductors’ Conference. Its second editon is presented in Nanning in association with the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra, Jan 18-21.Here Hu talks about the myth in teaching conducting.This is a Chinese language programme with English synopsis.Hu Yongyan reflects on the difficulty and inherent paradox of teaching conducting. He notes that conducting is often said to be something one truly understands only through long-term experience on the podium, rather than immediate instruction. Having spent most of his career performing rather than teaching, he describes conducting pedagogy as particularly challenging, even “mystical,” because what is taught in the classroom may only be fully understood five or ten years later.He argues that conducting classes inevitably involve a degree of premature instruction, with students required to absorb concepts they may not yet be ready to comprehend, often driven by examinations and institutional demands. Nonetheless, he sees this process as an essential part of artistic growth. Hu stresses that genuine learning in conducting is never instant or effortless; if a student were to grasp everything immediately, it would suggest a problem with the teaching itself. There is, he concludes, no such thing as “happy” or effortless study in learning to conduct. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.Fifteen young conductors from across China took part this week in the second Young Conductors’ Conference, an intensive training and competition programme hosted by the Shenzhen School of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with rehearsals held at the Guangxi Concert Hall in the southern city of Nanning.Over two days of public sessions open to ticket holders on Jan. 18–19, the candidates each worked with the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra in 27-minute rehearsal slots, conducting excerpts from Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Copland’s Appalachian Spring. The format combined elements of a competition, forum, masterclass and public workshop, an approach organisers say is rare on the Chinese mainland.Violinist Liu Fanglei, associate professor at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, served as soloist for the opening round, performing excerpts from Sibelius’ concerto 15 times with 15 candidates. She said the experience underscored both the depth of the score and the contrasting approaches of the participants.“Even after playing it so many times, I still felt there was something new to discover,” Liu said, noting that differences in orchestration balance, harmony and pacing emerged with each conductor. She added that some candidates chose to follow the soloist closely, while others imposed a more individual interpretation, a contrast she described as revealing in a competition setting.At the end of the sessions, five conductors were selected to advance to the final round: Xu Leyuan, Xing Hao, Fan Muhan, Chen Hongjun and Xin Muchong. They will conduct the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra at the conference’s closing concert on Jan. 21, with violinist He Shuchong appearing as soloist.Two awards will be announced after the concert: a Best Conductor prize selected by the jury from the five finalists, and an Orchestra Award chosen by the musicians from all 15 candidates.The jury comprised conductors and educators Liu Ming, Yang Youqing, Zhou Jin, Liu Yu, Song Jie and Deng Zhuorui. Of the five finalists, two are students at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and three study at the CUHK Shenzhen School of Music. Xu Leyuan had previously attracted attention for advancing in the Tokyo International Conducting Competition in 2024.In a gesture of respect for local culture, both soloists wore scarves featuring traditional Zhuang ethnic patterns during rehearsals, adding a regional touch to the proceedings.Observers have likened the conference to international schemes such as the Salzburg Young Conductors Award. China has held few nationwide conducting competitions in recent decades; the last was the Li Delun National Conducting Competition in 2012. In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta runs an international conducting competition, while the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra hosts a separate event for Chinese-music conductors.Organisers said the Nanning conference aims to fill a gap by providing sustained exposure, professional feedback and performance opportunities for emerging conductors at a critical stage of their careers. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.On a winter evening in Zhejiang province, I found myself in Yanguan, a historic town in Haining, attending a concert that did not behave like a concert at all.Normally, the rules of classical music are clear. Audiences sit below the stage, listen in silence, applaud at the appropriate moment, watch the performers take their bows, and then disperse. Participation is limited, and any deviation, a shout before the final chord has settled, an ill-timed comment, is usually treated as a breach of etiquette. Yet even such disruptions reveal something else: a desire to be involved.I have long been interested in how classical music might offer audiences a stronger sense of engagement without damaging the listening experience. On 10 January, the Tide Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Yu Lu, offered an unexpected answer at the Tides and Music Resort Arts Centre.This was a “Workout Symphony Concert”. On stage were not only the orchestra but also three professional fitness coaches including Taiwanese star coach and entertainer Will Liu. In the hall were more than 2,500 audience members, many of whom did not remain seated for long. As the workout playlist of live music by Rossini, Offenbach, Chuck Rio, John Williams, Wang Xiling and Jay Chou unfolded, they stood up, raised their arms, worked their legs and followed the instructors through a carefully paced workout. This was not dance, but exercise: burning calories, engaging muscles, and moving in time with a live symphonic performance.What struck me was not the novelty itself, but the degree to which participation was taken seriously. The audience was not invited to clap along or sing a refrain; they were asked to commit physically. Their involvement was total. In that sense, the concert pushed the idea of audience engagement to its logical extreme.I have always spoken of my frustration with the fixed roles that define most classical concerts. Listeners may “vote with their tickets”, but they have little influence over what is played or how it is presented. In Yanguan, that imbalance was deliberately challenged. During the encore, Yu encouraged the audience to take photos and videos, and to share them freely on social media, a gesture that runs counter to the strict no-recording policies of most concert halls.He went further, describing the Tide Philharmonic Orchestra as the first to openly invite audiences to record performances as mementos. The goal, he said, was simple: to bring more people into the concert hall, and at the same time to connect music with health and everyday life.The idea is not without precedent. I was reminded of a multimedia concert by the China National Traditional Orchestra at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, where the ensemble’s then director Xi Qiang actively encouraged filming and online sharing as a way of extending the reach of traditional music. In Yanguan, the same logic applied, but with a physical dimension added. Participation was not just visual or digital; it was embodied.By the end of the evening, it became clear that this was not merely a crossover event or a clever marketing concept. It was an attempt to rethink who a concert is for, and what it asks of its audience. Instead of passive listeners, the crowd became active participants, shaping the atmosphere of the performance with their movement and energy.Classical music often speaks of transformation, innovation and vitality. In Yanguan, at least for one night, those ideas were taken quite literally. The audience did not just listen to the music. They moved with it, sweated with it, and, in a sense, claimed it as their own. 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

The Wuxi Symphony Orchestra presented its third annual New Year’s Concert on 1 January 2026, conducted by its artistic director Lin Daye. He was joined by violinist Maxim Vengerov, pianist Kong Xiangdong, baritone Liao Changyong and suona player Liu Wenwen.This year’s concert marked a significant milestone. It inaugurated the Wuxi Symphony Hall, the orchestra’s first permanent home. According to local reports, the city completed construction in just 33 months, finalised all legal approvals within four days, and sold out tickets for the opening concert in five minutes.The new hall reflects Wuxi’s sustained investment in cultural infrastructure. Founded in 2023, the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra has developed at striking speed, with the Symphony Hall conceived early on as an integral part of the orchestra’s long-term vision. In 2025, Wuxi was designated a UNESCO City of Music as part of the Creative Cities Network. The orchestra’s 2026–27 season will open in September, its first full season in the new venue.The complex includes a 1,500-seat main concert hall, a 500-seat chamber hall, and additional spaces designed for business and public events. Acoustics were designed by the renowned Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, though he was not present at the inauguration. The pipe organ in the main hall was built by Rieger Orgelbau.With the opening of its own purpose-built concert hall, complete with a concert organ, the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra now occupies a distinctive position within China’s orchestral landscape, joining the small number of elite ensembles nationwide able to call such a venue home. 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

The XX Mariinsky International Piano Festival, which concluded On December 29 in St Petersburg, stands as one of Russia’s most prestigious piano events. Founded with the involvement of Valery Gergiev, the festival this year saw a Chinese pianist emerge as a particularly striking presence: Fang Yan, making his debut at the festival.On the evening of 28 December, Fang gave a recital at the Rachmaninov Hall, part of the Mariinsky Theatre complex. He brought to St Petersburg his self-conceived Resonance recital series, a concert format that combines spoken commentary with performance, still a rarity at the festival. The result was an unusually strong emotional connection with the audience. The programme included Ode to the Yellow River, arranged by Yin Chengzong and others from the Yellow River Piano Concerto.The following evening, Fang appeared again at the festival’s closing concert, performing Rodion Shchedrin’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra under Gurgen Petrosyan at the Mariinsky Concert Hall. The performance formed the culmination of the festival’s tribute to Shchedrin, who passed away at the end of August this year, presenting all six of his piano concertos.After the concerto, Fang returned to the stage for an encore of Ode to the Yellow River. When the Yellow River met the Neva twice in two nights, Chinese music resounded through one of Russia’s most revered musical institutions.During the interval, Fang spoke with KLASSIKOM.Q: Congratulations on your Mariinsky International Piano Festival debut. Yesterday’s recital was part of your ongoing Resonance series. Could you introduce this concept, and explain why you chose it for your first solo appearance here?Fang Yan: The idea behind Resonance is actually very simple, just as the name suggests. I hope that after a full concert, audiences leave having truly felt something, having taken something with them, rather than simply thinking, “I’ve attended a concert.”I want them to walk away feeling deeply moved, thinking, “This meant something to me. I want to come back and listen again.” That’s why I started developing the Resonance series back in China.Russian audiences already have a strong concert-going tradition. Even if they feel they don’t fully “understand” a piece, they still come, because concerts and opera are part of everyday life here, like going to the cinema. Opera is relatively easier to grasp, with text and narrative, but instrumental music raises an important question: how do we listen?I feel performers have a responsibility to guide audiences in listening. In last night’s concert, I began by telling stories, very concrete and intimate ones, gradually leading listeners into the beauty of the music itself. From Beethoven’s Pathétique, we move into pure musical beauty, and then to Chaconne by Bach-Busoni, the Universe. What is the universe? It is everything, it is anything.Through this process, audiences begin to experience the music on their own terms. When that happens, they want to return, and they start connecting the music with their own lives and emotions. That sense of reflection and resonance is what matters most to me.Too often, audiences leave saying, “That pianist was amazing,” but also thinking, “What does this have to do with me?” They take a photo, post it online, tick the box of having been to the Mariinsky, and may never return.I don’t believe classical music is esoteric. It’s like a mirror, reflecting ourselves. It can be anything. That’s why Resonance matters to me, whether in China, Russia, or anywhere else. Even seasoned concertgoers can experience something genuinely new.Q: Your recital was structured around the theme of love, moving from romantic love to gratitude, love of country, and finally life and the universe. Why did you choose love as the thread?Fang Yan: Love is the most universal emotion, and the easiest one for people to relate to. For young people, it’s often at its most intense; over a lifetime, it takes many forms.Everyone’s experience of love is deeply personal. I wanted audiences to bring out their own individual feelings. Only then can real resonance happen. That inner connection is what I value most.Q: You performed Ode to the Yellow River again. Why bring this piece to Russia?Fang Yan: I first played it at the Mariinsky back in March, and since then I’ve included it in almost all my international programmes. It has become something of a personal signature.I’m Chinese, and I want to share our cultural treasures with international audiences. Through Ode to the Yellow River, listeners may grow curious about Chinese music and composers. Once that interest begins, it can lead to performance and promotion, creating a positive cycle.I don’t think my contribution is huge, but small steps add up. Lang Lang has done this for years by programming Chinese works abroad, and that matters enormously. I hope more Chinese pianists will continue to bring our music onto international stages.Q: At the closing concert you performed Shchedrin’s Piano Concerto No. 5. How do you like this piece?Fang Yan: It unfolds very naturally. The first movement feels like entering an unfamiliar, slightly mysterious world. The second is introspective, almost like speaking to oneself. By the third movement, everything bursts open.Taken as a whole, it feels deeply human. The concerto is sometimes called the “pianist’s concerto” because it reflects Shchedrin’s own identity as a pianist. Technically it’s demanding, especially the wild cadenza in the final movement, yet the writing is refined and detailed.The work was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, and dedicated to Olli Mustonen. It’s a substantial, distinctive concerto, and I believe it deserves far more attention.Q: You were the only Chinese pianist at this festival, and the only one among those performing Shchedrin’s complete piano concertos. How does that feel?Fang Yan: I genuinely love performing here. The audiences are deeply passionate about music, and you feel that immediately. The questions they ask afterwards are thoughtful and stimulating, which is very encouraging.St Petersburg is a city with extraordinary cultural depth. Performing here is always special.As a Chinese musician, of course I feel honoured. At the same time, China has so many outstanding pianists and musicians. I’m certain that more and more of them will appear on major international stages. I’m simply one of the lucky ones, and I truly cherish the opportunity to be here. 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

The Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg isn’t just a theatre.It’s an entire complex made up of three separate buildings: the historic Mariinsky Theatre, the Second Stage, and the Concert Hall. Together they house as many as nine performing spaces.On 27 December, I put myself through a bit of a self-imposed marathon.At two in the afternoon, I started at the Concert Hall with a piano festival concert. Xenia Bashmet, daughter of Yuri, was at the piano, with Fyodor Khandrikov conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra in the music by Bach, Haydn, Britten, Tchaikovsky and Joaquín Turina whose Rapsodia sinfónica was such a joy to discover.After that, I headed over to the Second Stage for Siegfried, conducted by Valery Gergiev, third night of the Ring cycle. The re-imagined production was premiered at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in October 2023. This was the first time it was staged at Mariinsky in consecutive nights. Fyodor Khandrikov, who conducted the matinee, was on the timpani. Mikhail Vekua sang the invincible title role quite formidably.By the time it all wrapped up, it was nearly 11:30 at night.Honestly, it felt less like a day out and more like a full-on musical pilgrimage. 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

On 1 January 2025, we were combing the shoreline of Fangchenggang, Guangxi, searching for shells at low tide. For KLASSIKOM, that quiet moment by the sea marked the beginning of a year that was destined to be anything but ordinary.Over the following twelve months, we took nearly 60 flights, crossed half the globe in longitude and latitude, and travelled to close to ten countries and regions. Our total time in the air approached 200 hours, the equivalent of circling the Earth at the equator two and a half times. All of it was driven by a single purpose: to bring our readers an ocean of music.This was a year of relentless movement. With a travel rhythm that averaged one and a half flights a week, we witnessed the emergence of new artists, listened to the birth of new works, and saw two brand-new orchestras take shape before our eyes. We attended the launch of inaugural seasons, returned to enduring classics with fresh ears, and spent time with musicians who were willing to treat KLASSIKOM as a friend rather than a bystander. From the front of the stage to the unseen spaces behind it, we filmed stories that carried warmth, struggle and humanity.At times, the greatest difficulty lay not in the journey itself, but in the destination. In late August, during our assignment in Matsumoto, Japan, we worked under pressures far beyond what most people might imagine, yet still completed our critical coverage. Because of the sensitivity involved, the specifics of those challenges cannot yet be made public. What can be said is that the experience tested the limits of endurance, judgement and responsibility.Even so, curiosity continued to drive us forward. We kept moving across continents because first-hand, original, exclusive stories, those that no one else has told, remain the standard we refuse to compromise. Every story we share, every video we release, every line we write revolves around music and the people who make it. Some stories inevitably fade from view, but most remain archived across all domestic and international KLASSIKOM platforms, quietly waiting to be rediscovered.Over time, KLASSIKOM in English has become a window through which the world glimpses the living, breathing landscape of Chinese music today. Our reports are frequently cited by overseas media and by visiting musicians from abroad, who share them across their own social networks. In many cases, a simple Google search in English for a Chinese composer, a young pianist, an opera title or a traditional instrumentalist will return pages where KLASSIKOM accounts for a striking share of the results.Just as we felt the year drawing to a close, ready to lower the curtain and prepare for the new one ahead, fate intervened. From a land marked by conflict, a call to assemble arrived without warning. By the time you read this, one of our special correspondents will already be on another long journey, travelling thousands of miles once again.This, then, is KLASSIKOM’s 2025. 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

On 21 December at the Henan Performing Arts Centre, the cantata Sister Jiang returned to the stage under the baton of Niu Chuang, with the Henan Symphony Orchestra. The title role was shared by soprano Jin Man, who first sang Sister Jiang in the original opera in 1984, and the younger soprano Song Lu. Tenors Dai Yuqiang and Mou Tianxiang alternated as Fu Zhigao, Jiang’s husband whose betrayal seals her fate. The performance, produced by Jin Man Studio, marked a major milestone: 2025 is the 25th anniversary of Sister Jiang in its cantata form.For Jin Man, the evening was not merely a commemorative revival but a reaffirmation of artistic principles she has defended for decades. Central among them is her insistence on Chinese bel canto singing without electronic amplification, a stance that sets her apart in a performance culture where microphones are often taken for granted.“The human voice,” she has repeatedly argued, “must project through technique, not technology.” In Sister Jiang, this belief is inseparable from the work’s moral core. The heroine’s dignity, resolve and inner strength, Jin Man maintains, can only be fully conveyed through an unamplified voice that carries natural resonance, breath and colour across the hall.Jin Man’s advocacy of bel canto is rooted in her own artistic formation. When she first sang Sister Jiang in 1984, the role demanded not only vocal power but also long, arching lines shaped by breath control and emotional restraint. These qualities, she believes, are diluted when amplification smooths out natural contrasts and reduces the singer’s responsibility for projection.In the cantata version, performed in concert form without elaborate staging, the voice becomes even more exposed, making vocal technique and musical integrity paramount.The decision to transform Sister Jiang from a fully staged opera into a cantata in 2020 was, in Jin Man’s words, both practical and aesthetic. The cantata strips away scenery, costumes and theatrical movement, shifting the focus to music and text. This change, she explains, allows the audience to engage more directly with the emotional and ideological substance of the work. While the opera unfolds as a continuous drama with clearly defined scenes and interactions, the cantata emphasises reflection and narration, giving greater weight to choral writing and orchestral commentary. For Jin Man, this format also aligns naturally with her belief in the primacy of the voice and the score.At the heart of both versions lies the story of Sister Jiang, a revolutionary figure whose courage has made her an enduring symbol in modern Chinese music theatre. Set against the backdrop of political repression, the opera traces her arrest, imprisonment and ultimate sacrifice. Betrayed by her husband Fu Zhigao, she refuses to renounce her ideals, even in the face of torture and death. Her arias, marked by lyrical nobility rather than overt heroics, articulate a quiet but unbreakable resolve. In the cantata, these moments are reframed as musical meditations, allowing the audience to contemplate her inner world as much as her actions.Sharing the role with Song Lu, Jin Man sees continuity rather than contrast. Passing the torch to a younger soprano is, for her, part of ensuring that Sister Jiang remains a living work rather than a historical monument. Yet she is clear that this continuity must be grounded in vocal discipline and respect for the score. As the Henan performance demonstrated, Jin Man’s vision of Chinese bel canto is not a rejection of tradition or innovation, but an insistence that both meet on the foundation of the human voice, unassisted and fully heard. 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

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.On the evening of December 14, the Qingdao Concert Hall witnessed a milestone in the young career of percussionist Zhang Fang: his 30th solo concert. For Zhang, winner of the 2020 BBC Young Musician competition, the event was not simply another performance, but a personal summation of five years of artistic growth, self-reflection and commitment to a still under-recognised musical discipline.Zhang’s journey as a solo performer began in 2021, shortly before he travelled to the UK for the BBC Young Musician finals. Because of the pandemic, he had already returned to China, and his first two concerts took place in Laixi, a county-level city near Qingdao. What began as a tentative step has since become a sustained artistic practice: from 2021 to 2025, Zhang has presented 30 solo concerts across China.Looking back, Zhang says the most striking change over these performances has been psychological rather than technical. In the beginning, he admits, he felt resistant to the idea of solo concerts, held back by self-doubt and fear of not measuring up. Over time, however, repeated appearances on stage reshaped his understanding of music and of himself. “The process itself,” he reflects, “has been the most important thing.”That early resistance can be traced back to his childhood training. Zhang first encountered percussion through drum kit playing, purely as a hobby. It was only after meeting his teacher, Chen, and later studying classical percussion systematically in Shanghai that he came face to face with the demands of professional musicianship. Those years were intense and austere: living in a small rented room with his father, practising relentlessly with few breaks, and rarely enjoying the freedoms of adolescence. For a time, percussion felt more like an obligation than a calling.Perspective came with time and experience, particularly after his return to China following his BBC Young Musician victory. Gradually, Zhang found himself genuinely drawn to percussion, to the point where long periods away from practice felt physically unsettling. On stage, he discovered a distinctive energy that performance alone could generate, reinforcing a sense of professional identity rooted in live music-making.Choosing to return to China after his international success was not without uncertainty. Zhang acknowledges that staying in the UK might have led to a different path, but he prefers not to dwell on hypotheticals. Instead, he immersed himself in China’s musical life, working with the Shanghai Percussion Association, where his roles now extend beyond performance to include teaching and administrative responsibilities. This shift, he says, has accelerated his personal and artistic maturity.The Qingdao concert itself was ambitious in scale and concept. Lasting nearly four hours, it featured 22 works, symbolically matching Zhang’s age of 22, organised into three sections to balance the often avant-garde character of contemporary percussion repertoire. The programme showcased a vast array of instruments, from marimba and vibraphone to Chinese traditional percussion and drums from Africa and Latin America. The physical demands were considerable, involving constant instrument changes and prolonged concentration, yet Zhang recalls finishing the concert feeling he could still continue playing.For Zhang Fang, the significance of this 30th concert lies not in numbers but in purpose. He hopes his performances will help audiences see percussion not as a background force, but as a medium rich in artistic and cultural expression. Looking ahead, he is drawn to expanding percussion’s boundaries through body percussion, theatrical formats and rhythm-based performance.His future path remains open, but one conviction is clear: as long as he can play, he wants to live on stage. 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

A concert devoted to the rarely heard Chinese double-reed instrument guanzi took place on December 18 at the Opera Hall of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, bringing together performance, education, and innovation around one of China’s most marginalised traditional wind instruments. Titled Home in the Heart, the concert featured renowned guanzi performer and educator Han Lei alongside his students, with the Central Conservatory Chinese Orchestra conducted by Ma Shuai.The event marked Han Lei’s fourth guanzi-themed concert in China in recent years, following earlier appearances in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the Peking University. Despite its long history, the guanzi remains a niche instrument even within professional Chinese music circles, with only a handful of conservatories offering dedicated programmes. Han Lei, currently the guanzi professor at the Central Conservatory, has made it a personal mission to expand the instrument’s repertoire, visibility, and technical possibilities.The programme was divided between chamber and large-scale works. One half focused on guanzi solo and chamber music repertoire, performed by Han Lei and four of his students using soprano, alto, bass, and contrabass instruments to achieve full register coverage. The second half centred on orchestral concerto works, some of which were newly commissioned or newly arranged and received either world or Beijing premieres.Among the highlights was Home in the Heart by Malaysian composer Kong Su Leong, inspired by Chinese folk melodies and shaped through a blend of Western harmonic thinking and Eastern melodic sensibility. Another work, Bright Moon over the Sea, evoked the emotional world of overseas Chinese communities and was singled out for its narrative depth and expressive scope.Several musicians and administrators attending the concert commented on both the artistic quality and the broader significance of the event.Composer Liu Changyuan noted that the guanzi’s distinctive, penetrating timbre makes it one of the most representative wind instruments of northern China, but stressed that its future depends on sustained collaboration between composers and performers. “Only original works can give new meaning to the instrument,” he said, pointing out that innovation inevitably brings new playing techniques and modes of expression.Others were struck by the calibre of the performers, particularly the younger students. Observers highlighted the appearance of guanzi players ranging from middle-school age to undergraduate level, seeing this as tangible evidence of a new generation emerging despite the instrument’s limited institutional presence.Wu Xuhai, head of the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, described the concert as both artistically rigorous and socially meaningful, noting that its academic standards were matched by a clear vision for cultural transmission.They also emphasised Han Lei’s role not only as a performer but as an innovator and educator. His work on instrument modification, expanded tonal capabilities, and flexible transposition systems was cited as crucial in allowing the guanzi to move beyond its traditional association with sombre or plaintive moods.The concert was widely viewed as a statement of intent: to reposition guanzi within contemporary Chinese music through new repertoire, strong pedagogy, and sustained public exposure. As several members of the audience concluded, only through high-quality works, committed performers, and continued advocacy can this ancient instrument find a secure place in China’s musical future. 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