Weeklong event to feature chamber music performances across the city of Tianjin and the debut of the global conservatory ensemble, NextGen Symphony in Tianjin and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts
TIANJIN, CHINA, May 7, 2025— The Tianjin Juilliard School is pleased to announce the programming for the 2025 Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum, taking place from May 26–31, 2025, in Tianjin and Beijing, China. This landmark international event brings together student artists, academic leaders, and cultural partners from 30 institutions around the world for a week of chamber and orchestral performances, cross-cultural exchange, and forward-looking dialogue on global music education.
At the heart of this initiative is the NextGen Symphony, a specially convened international ensemble showcasing exceptional young musicians from leading conservatories and music schools across Asia, Europe, and North America. The Orchestral Symposium underscores the school’s mission to foster artistry and global collaboration, providing these young musicians a platform to perform, grow, and connect through music. The orchestra will perform two culminating concerts conducted by David Robertson—one in Tianjin and the other in Beijing—featuring works by Zhou Long, Hector Berlioz, and Béla Bartók. These performances offer audiences in both cities the opportunity to experience a vibrant and emotionally resonant musical journey. The May 30 concert at the Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall will be livestreamed, and the May 31 closing concert will be presented in partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA).
“The formation of this joint orchestra, bringing together extraordinary young artists from around the world, embodies our shared vision of discovering common ground through musical collaboration,” said Wei He, Tianjin Juilliard’s CEO and artistic director. “These talented musicians will serve as cultural ambassadors, engaging with communities through chamber music performances that spark meaningful conversations and celebrate our shared humanity.”
Chamber Music Across Central Tianjin
Chamber music will play a central role throughout the Symposium, with student ensembles performing in major venues across the city, including the Tianjin Juilliard Recital Hall, Tianjin Conservatory of Music Concert Hall, Tianjin Concert Hall, and Tianjin Yao Hua High School Auditorium. On May 26, the Symposium launches with a powerful performance by the internationally acclaimed Shanghai Quartet, joined by resident faculty Hanna Lee (viola) and guest artist Kangho Lee (cello). On May 27 and May 29, chamber ensembles composed of students from institutions across the globe will perform in a series of concerts that reflect the richness and diversity of the classical music community. Details of the programs appear below.
Students from the following participating institutions will perform in the Orchestral Symposium Chamber Music Concert Series: Central Conservatory of Music; China Conservatory of Music; Colburn School; Curtis Institute of Music; The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music; The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; The Juilliard School; Korea National University of Arts; Melbourne Conservatorium of Music; New England Conservatory; Oberlin Conservatory of Music; Shepherd School of Music, Rice University; Royal Academy of Music (London); Shanghai Conservatory of Music; The Tianjin Juilliard School; Yale School of Music; and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.
Leadership Forum: Global Voices in Music Education
Running concurrently with the performance programming, the Leadership Forum will convene thought leaders in the arts to examine the state of music education through the lenses of cultural exchange, innovation, and professional development. Keynote speakers and topics include:
- Clive Gillinson | Executive and Artistic Director, Carnegie Hall
Keynote: “Music and the Search for Meaning” - Andrea Kalyn | President, New England Conservatory of Music
Keynote: “Educating the 21st Century Musician” - Robert Blocker | William Edward Gilbert Professor of Piano and former Dean, Yale School of Music
Keynote: “The Imperative for Cultural Leadership”
Moderators include:
- Mattie Bekink, Regional Director and Chief Representative, China, Ford Foundation
- Benjamin Sosland, Vice President for Music Programs, The Kovner Foundation
Fourteen Chinese conservatories and music organizations will contribute their perspectives through a dedicated panel discussion focused on the evolving landscape of music education in China. There will also be break-out sessions, responders’ conversations, and a lecture titled “The Future of Tradition: The Promise (and Peril) of AI in Classical Music,” by David Ludwig, dean and director of Juilliard’s Music Division and responder Yu Feng, president, Central Conservatory of Music. The complete agenda and list of Forum participants can be found on the website.
The Forum proceedings will be published in Chinese and English by the People’s Music Publishing House, with international distribution. Observers including scholars and administrators interested are welcome to attend the Forum and performances free of charge. To register as an observer, please contact symposium@tianjinjuilliard.edu.cn.
Acknowledgements
The Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum is generously supported by the Ford Foundation.
The Tianjin Juilliard School gratefully acknowledges the support of the National Centre for the Performing Arts as a co-presenter and the chamber music presenting venues: the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Concert Hall, and Tianjin Yao Hua High School; our thanks also go to Tianjin Municipality; and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Commission (TEDA).
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium
Program Details
Opening Concert
Monday, May 26 | 7:30pm
Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall
FRANZ SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, “Death and the Maiden”
Shanghai Quartet
Weigang Li, Violin
Angelo Xiang Yu, Violin
Honggang Li, Viola
Sihao He, Cello
JOHANNES BRAHMS String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 18
Shanghai Quartet
Hanna Lee, Viola
Kangho Lee, Cello
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium Chamber Music Concert Series
Tuesday, May 27 | 7:30pm
Tianjin Conservatory of Music Concert Hall
VALERIE COLEMAN Afro-Cuban Concerto for Wind Quintet
Students of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
WALTER KAUFFMAN String Quartet No. 7
Students of The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
PAUL SCHOENFELD Café Music
Students of The Tianjin Juilliard School
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77
Students of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Tianjin Concert Hall
INGOLF DAHL Music for Brass Instruments
Students of the Yale School of Music
BÉLA BARTÓK String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor
Students of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
ERWIN SCHULHOFF Five Pieces for String Quartet
Students of the Central Conservatory of Music
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77
Students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Tianjin Yao Hua High School Auditorium
JOAQUÍN TURINA La oración del torero, Op. 34
Students of The Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
FRANZ SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 803, "Rosamunde"
Students of the Royal Academy of Music (London)
VALERIE COLEMAN Afro-Cuban Concerto for Wind Quintet
Students of the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, "American"
Students of the China Conservatory of Music
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium Chamber Music Concert Series
Thursday, May 29 | 7:30pm
Tianjin Juilliard Recital Hall
ALEJANDRO VIÑAO Stress and Flow
Students of the Korea National University of Arts
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, "American"
Students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Danse sacrée et danse profane
Students of The Juilliard School and The Tianjin Juilliard School
JOHN HARBISON Quintet for Winds
Students of the Colburn School
FELIX MENDELSSOHN String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Students of the New England Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, and The Tianjin Juilliard School
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium: NextGen Symphony
Conducted by David Robertson
Friday, May 30 | 7:30pm
Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall
The performance will be livestreamed.
ZHOU LONG The Rhyme of Taigu (2003)
BERLIOZ Three Scenes from Roméo et Juliette
I. Introduction: Combats – Tumulte – Intervention du Prince
II. La reine Mab Scherzo
III. Roméo seul – Tristesse – Bruits lointains de concert et de bal – Grande fête chez Capulet
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
I. Introduzione. Andante non troppo – Allegro vivace
II. Presentando le coppie. Allegro scherzando
III. Elegia. Andante non troppo
IV. Intermezzo interrotto. Allegretto
V. Finale. Presto
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium Closing Concert: NextGen Symphony Saturday, May 31 | 2:30pm
The National Centre for the Performing Arts Concert Hall, Beijing
The closing concert in Beijing on May 31 will feature a reprise of the full program performed in Tianjin on May 30.
For more information and ticketing details, visit our Performance Calendar.