When the first music notes filled the concert hall, the unique fusion of melodies drawn from China’s Beijing opera and Russian strings and piano swept the audience into a seamless cultural dialogue.
At a recent concert in Moscow, young Chinese composer Wang Chenxu premiered seven new works for Chinese and Russian audiences. The pieces explored themes ranging from Beijing youth to the ancient Silk Road, each infused with musical elements from both nations.
“Young musicians like us are not just cultural messengers, but pioneers shaping a common artistic memory,” said Wang, a graduate of Russia’s prestigious Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
With 2024 and 2025 designated as the China-Russia Years of Culture, musical exchanges like this concert have become increasingly frequent. From classrooms to concert halls, exchanges between musicians and conservatories from both sides are deepening.
“Chinese and Russian musics flow into each other like two great rivers, nurturing new beauty as they meet,” said Wu Zhiwu, deputy dean of China Conservatory of Music.
Wu recently led a delegation from his school to sign an agreement with the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, one of Russia’s most prestigious art institutions, to advance new cooperation projects, promoting the co-publication of teaching materials and student exchange programs.
In the first quarter, the two sides established joint academic centers to push resource sharing, talent cultivation, and collaborative research in music and culture.
As the 2026-2027 China-Russia Years of Education approach, leading conservatories of both nations are expanding cooperation in training young musicians. At the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Chinese students have become the largest group of foreign students.
“Learning how to make Eastern and Western musical instruments truly converse is at the core of what we do,” said Bai Bofan, a Chinese student of classical piano, adding that the expanding exchanges offer a real opportunity for the young people from both nations to foster unity and understanding.
“Music is more than a bridge. It is a tower of understanding,” said Wang, the Chinese composer. “It’s not only where cultures meet, but where they create together.”
Igor Dronov, an honored artist of Russia and conductor of the orchestra at Wang’s concert, said that the blending of Eastern and Western musical traditions symbolizes shared creativity and brings people closer together.
“We aim to make Chinese and Russian works part of the everyday musical life of both peoples,” said Peng Cheng, head of the center for China-Russia musical exchange at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. “Through co-sponsored concerts and collaborations, we hope to achieve meaningful and lasting musical dialogue.” Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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