Tianjin Juilliard Commencement Ceremony: May 19, 10am (China Time)
Tianjin Juilliard Pre-College Ceremony: May 21, 9am (China Time)
TIANJIN, CHINA — Tianjin Juilliard will hold its 2nd commencement ceremony for the class of 2023. It will be held on May 19 at 10am (China Time) at the Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall. 35 graduate students from eight countries will receive their Juilliard degree from the first joint-venture performing arts institution in China to confer a US-accredited music degree.
The commencement address will be given by world-renowned violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, who is actively involved in music education through his work with the Perlman Music Program and at Juilliard in New York. Juilliard’s president emeritus and chief China officer, Joseph W. Polisi, will kick off the Tianjin ceremony, followed by congratulatory remarks by Juilliard President Damian Woetzel, Provost Adam Meyer, Tianjin Juilliard Chancellor Changjun Xu, and Tianjin Conservatory of Music Vice President Hongwei Wang.
CEO and Artistic Director Wei He and Dean Katherine Chu will confer the degrees and present the dean’s list awards. Tianjin Juilliard will also present the following prizes to two graduate students: The Tianjin Juilliard School Prize for artistic achievement and academic excellence in all areas of endeavor and the Joseph W. Polisi Prize for exemplifying Tianjin Juilliard’s “artist as citizen” values and demonstrating outstanding artistry and leadership in community engagement.
We are looking forward to celebrating the many accomplishments of our graduate students as they embark on the next chapter of their professional careers and go out into the world as our alumni. We have been inspired by their resilient pursuit of excellence through challenges and transformations. Just as our commencement speaker, Itzhak Perlman, inspires audiences worldwide with his remarkable artistry and dedication to music education, our hope is for our graduating class to go out into the world and embody the same artistic curiosity, unwavering passion, and courage to serve communities through joyful music making.
Wei He
The commencement ceremony will also feature performances by Tianjin Juilliard graduates. Linda Jingzi Ruan, (MM ’23, Instrumental and Chamber Music Studies) and Polina Charnetskaia (MM ’23, Collaborative Piano), will perform selections from John Corigliano's “Gazebo Dances” for piano four-hands. Jiyoung Kim (MM ’23, Instrumental and Orchestral Studies), Chaeyeong Lee (MM ’23, Instrumental and Orchestral Studies), and Yi Chen (MM ’23, Instrumental and Orchestral Studies) will perform the first movement of the Trio per Uno, a percussion trio composed by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic. Zhiyi Dong (MM ’23, Instrumental and Orchestral Studies) will also speak on behalf of the graduating class.
Tianjin Juilliard Pre-College will hold a commencement ceremony for Pre-College students on Sunday, May 21, at 9am (China Time) in the Tianjin Juilliard Recital Hall. Associate dean of Pre-College and Educational Development, Robert Ross, and assistant dean of Pre-College, Sophie X. Zhang, will present certificates of graduation to 11 Pre-College students from five provinces in China. Joseph W. Polisi will give the Pre-College commencement address this year. Piano student Weiran Meng will deliver a speech on behalf of the Pre-College graduates.
The Juilliard School in New York will hold its 118th commencement ceremony and conferral of honorary doctorate degrees on May 19, 11am (Eastern Time), and the New York Preparatory Division Ceremony on May 20, at noon (Eastern Time). Both Juilliard campuses in New York and Tianjin will celebrate the classes of 2023 with commencement ceremonies on the same dates as part of the institution’s overall vision of ‘one school, two campuses.’