New York, New York (June 15, 2017) –– The Juilliard School broke ground today on its first overseas campus, The Tianjin Juilliard School, marking a significant milestone in the school’s ongoing expansion into Asia. As part of the ceremony, Joseph W. Polisi, president of Juilliard; Alexander Brose, executive director and C.E.O. of The Tianjin Juilliard School; and Charles Renfro, Partner and architect at Diller Scofidio + Renfro, unveiled preliminary designs for the new facility. Diller Scofidio + Renfro is the same firm that oversaw the 2009 renovations of Juilliard’s New York City campus and the redevelopment of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Located in the Yujiapu Pilot Free Trade Zone, The Tianjin Juilliard School will be a center for performance, practice, and research, as well as interactive exhibitions and communal spaces that are designed to welcome the public into the creative process and the performance of music. Once completed, the campus will be an international hub for artists of all ages and abilities as well as the only performing arts institution in China to offer a U.S.-accredited master’s degree.
“For more than a century, Juilliard has provided the highest caliber of performing arts education to talented young musicians, actors, and dancers,” said Polisi, president of Juilliard and chairman of The Tianjin Juilliard School’s board of directors. “We look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence in Tianjin while deepening ties between China and the United States through artistic collaboration.”
“After many months of careful planning and collaboration, we are thrilled to share our designs for The Tianjin Juilliard School,” said Charles Renfro, Partner-in-charge at Diller Scofidio + Renfro. “In planning this new facility, we wanted to capture the spirit of Tianjin while creating an architectural connection to Juilliard’s home campus in New York City.” The Tianjin Juilliard School’s location adjacent to a new high-speed rail hub, one hour’s ride from Beijing’s South Rail Station, makes the campus and everything it has to offer easily accessible to people living and working in the greater Beijing-Tianjin area.
Juilliard first announced its plan for a Tianjin campus in 2015. In March of this year, Alexander Brose, formerly the vice president for development at the Aspen Music Festival and School, was appointed executive director and C.E.O., while renowned violinist Wei He was selected as the school’s first artistic director and dean.
Part of President Polisi’s vision to bring performing arts education to a broader global audience, The Tianjin Julliard School will offer a diverse range of courses and grant master’s degrees in orchestral performance, chamber music performance, and collaborative piano. It will also offer pre-college and instrumental training programs, adult education courses, and public performances and exhibits.
The school is scheduled to open in 2019.