Tuesday, May 27
The Tianjin Juilliard School  

Opening Remarks
Joseph W. Polisi, President Emeritus and Chief China Officer, The Juilliard School  
Wei He, CEO and Artistic Director, The Tianjin Juilliard School  

Keynote I: Music and the Search for Meaning
Speaker: Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director, Carnegie Hall

Wednesday, May 28
Beijing Centre for the Performing Arts

Keynote II: Educating the 21st Century Musician    
Speaker: Andrea Kalyn, President, the New England Conservatory of Music

Lecture: The Future of Tradition: The Promise (and Peril) of AI in Classical Music  
Speaker: David Ludwig, Dean and Director of Music, The Juilliard School

Thursday, May 29
The Tianjin Juilliard School

Keynote III: The Imperative for Cultural Leadership
Speaker: Robert Blocker, William Edward Gilbert Professor of Piano; Former Dean, The Yale University School of Music

Discussion: Perspectives on Music Education and Performance in China Today    
Please view the line-up of speakers from Chinese organizations and institutions for this session below. 

Mattie Bekink, Regional Director and Chief Representative, China, Ford Foundation  
Benjamin Sosland, Vice President for Music Programs, The Kovner Foundation
 

Alan Fletcher, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School
Matthew Loden, Dean, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University  
Nicola Mutton, Director of Artistic Planning and Head of Ensembles, Royal Academy of Music
Yu Feng, President, Central Conservatory of Music
Inaki Sandoval, Dean, School of Music, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Peter Tornquist, Dean, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Richard Kurth, Director, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Kangho Lee, Dean of School of Music, Korea National University of Arts

Alexander Brose, President & CEO, The Royal Conservatory of Music
Abra K. Bush, Dean, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Lee Cioppa, Dean, Colburn School
José GarcÍa-León, Dean, Yale School of Music, Yale University
Sally Takada, Associate Dean, Oberlin Conservatory of Music

LI Xincao, President, China Conservatory of Music  
SONG Fei, President, Harbin Conservatory of Music  
Inaki Sandoval, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts  
LIAO Changyong, President, Shanghai Conservatory of Music  
TIAN Yan, President, Shenyang Conservatory of Music  
YE Xiaogang, President, School of Music, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen  
WEN Feng, President, Sichuan Conservatory of Music 
WANG Hongwei, President, Tianjin Conservatory of Music 
GAO Yan, President, Wuhan Conservatory of Music  
WANG Gang, President, Xi’an Conservatory of Music  
TAO Mo, President, Xinghai Conservatory of Music  
WANG Rui, President, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music  
CHEN Guangxian, President, China Symphony Development Foundation  
YU Long, President, League of China Orchestras 

Return to the main Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum page here.

New in 2025, the Teacher Auditor program is designed specifically for piano educators. This program offers a unique opportunity for teachers to immerse themselves in the festival's dynamic activities while participating in curated professional development courses and workshops tailored to enhance their skills. The Teacher Auditor program runs for one week, with the option to extend participation for a second week, providing ample time for growth, learning, and networking with fellow professionals in the field of piano education.

Teacher Auditors receive a certificate of participation after completing all courses.

Teacher Auditors have exclusive access to workshops and lectures delivered by Tianjin Juilliard Piano Festival artist-faculty and Tianjin Juilliard faculty, including:

•    Teaching Clinic: Teacher Auditors teach short lessons and receive guidance and direction from world-renowned masters Arie Vardi (week 1), Xiaohan Wang (week 1), Bernd Goetzke (week 2), Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (week 2), and Krzysztof Jablonski (week 2).

•    Lecture/Discussions with Dan Shao (week 1) and Yoheved Kaplinsky (week 2) covering an array of topics including competition preparation and healthy practicing techniques.

•    Improvisation Lab with Andrew Tyson and Junhui Chen (weeks 1 and 2), an experimental workshop aiming to give attendees a taste of what it means to create music spontaneously, as well as to provide a framework for continuing exploration.

•     Interdisciplinary Approaches to Piano Teaching Through Aesthetic Education with Sophie Xuefei Zhang (week 1).  This workshop examines piano teaching and learning through the lens of aesthetic education, emphasizing imagination, awareness, and pluralism in music learning.

•    Expert-led roundtable discussions to reflect on the week’s diverse activities, providing Teacher Auditors with valuable insights from their shared experiences.

In addition, Teacher Auditors have full access to the festival’s core activities, including all guest artist recitals, master classes, Emerging Artist Recitals, lectures, concerto competitions, and chamber music concert that take place at Tianjin Juilliard during the week of participation.

*Teacher Auditors may not observe private lessons.

Priority will be given to piano teachers and piano majors currently enrolled in a collegiate program who are preparing to become piano teachers in the future. Applicants must submit a CV as part of the application process.

Click here to view the Teacher Auditor Schedule. 

• Application Fee (non-refundable): RMB 200 per person
• Program Fee (one week): RMB 7,250 per person 

Qualified applicants are admitted on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. For inquiry, please contact TJPF.Auditors@TianjinJuilliard.edu.cn for more information.