Season Highlights
Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra presents a dynamic lineup of orchestral repertoire, guest artists, and artistic collaborations
Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble expands its artistic offerings with the debut of the Tianjin Juilliard Brass Quintet
Festival Connect 2027 explores the legacy of the Second Viennese School, featuring works by Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern
Expanded partnerships with leading institutions around the world – from the National Centre for the Performing Arts and Xinghai Concert Hall to Korea National University of Arts and Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Shanghai Quartet premieres a newly commissioned work by Guo Wenjing
More than 100 free events open to the public; ticketed concerts available throughout the season
The Tianjin Juilliard School announces its 2026–27 performance season, featuring more than 200 performances on campus and across China while expanding artistic partnerships with institutions around the world. Bringing together celebrated masterworks and forward-looking programming, the season reflects Tianjin Juilliard's commitment to community engagement, cultural exchange, and championing the vital role of performance in music education.
Message from Wei He, CEO and artistic director
Our 2026–27 season reflects the very essence of The Tianjin Juilliard School. Every performance, every collaboration, and every new project serves a shared purpose: to help our students grow — not only as musicians and leaders, but also as people.
This season offers extraordinary opportunities for our students to learn alongside distinguished artists and educators while sharing music with audiences across China and beyond. From presenting a concert in partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts, returning to Xinghai Concert Hall in the Greater Bay Area, and launching exciting collaborations with Juilliard, Korea National University of Arts and Oberlin Conservatory of Music, these partnerships enrich our students’ education and connect them to a global artistic community.
As a young institution, we are deeply encouraged by the impact we are already seeing. Our Pre-College graduates are pursuing their dreams at many of the world’s leading conservatories and universities, while our graduate alumni are becoming valued members of professional orchestras and music schools across China, Asia, and beyond. Their journeys remind us that the true measure of education is not simply what students accomplish while they are with us, but the people and artists they become and the contributions they make after they leave us.
That belief shapes everything we do. We are cultivating an ecosystem in which students learn from inspiring teachers, accomplished artists, their peers, and the communities they serve. If Tianjin Juilliard can help nurture people who continue to learn, collaborate, and contribute wherever life takes them, then we will have fulfilled our mission. I warmly invite you to join us throughout this season and to share in that mission.
Led by resident conductor and director of orchestral studies Ken Lam, the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra’s (TJO) new season features nine dynamic concerts, highlighted by a week-long residency at Guangzhou's Xinghai Concert Hall in late March. Audiences will experience an inspiring journey through the orchestral repertoire, from Beethoven's iconic Symphony No. 5 and Sibelius' sweeping Symphony No. 2 to Bernstein's electrifying Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Richard Strauss' sumptuous Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Rachmaninoff's dazzling Symphonic Dances, and Holst's monumental The Planets, marking the orchestra's first collaboration with the Tianjin Juilliard Pre-College Choir. The season culminates with Bartók's exhilarating Concerto for Orchestra.
The season welcomes an outstanding roster of guest artists, including acclaimed conductor Christoph Poppen, internationally celebrated pianist Tony Siqi Yun performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 during the Xinghai residency, among others. The orchestra also celebrates the spirit of mentorship through two faculty-student side-by-side concerts this November, including a special collaboration with students from Korea National University of Arts.
The Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble (TJE) continues to bring together distinguished faculty artists in performances that celebrate both the richness of the chamber music tradition and a spirit of innovation. The 2026–27 season features a thoughtfully curated blend of beloved masterworks alongside compelling twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire. It also marks the launch of the Tianjin Juilliard Brass Quintet, showcasing the school's outstanding brass faculty in a dedicated chamber ensemble.
TJE serves as a platform for artistic exchange and collaboration. This season, faculty collaborate with leading partners, including The Juilliard School in New York, the inaugural Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts) residency, the second Spring Music Festival at Xinghai Concert Hall, and Oberlin Conservatory of Music students and faculty in Festival Connect 2027.
The 2027 Festival Connect explores the rich legacy of the Second Viennese School. The festival features a wide variety of solo, chamber, vocal, and symphonic works by Arnold Schoenberg and his two most famous pupils, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Through these works, audiences will experience how musical styles rooted in Late Romanticism evolved through free atonal music towards Schoenberg’s twelve-tone method. The program also features works by Aaron Copland and Luo Zhongrong, two important composers whose music reflects the far-reaching influence of Schoenberg and his school. Festival highlights include the original version of Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night and his iconic Pierrot Lunaire. The final concert features Luo Zhongrong’s Tune of the Qin, for guqin and chamber orchestra, alongside Alban Berg’s masterpiece.
Visiting faculty from Juilliard in New York will hold residencies at Tianjin Juilliard, providing students with valuable learning opportunities and musical experiences through side-by-side performances. The faculty and dates will be released later. Tianjin Juilliard faculty Hanna Lee, Li-Ya Huang, and Alvin Zhu will perform at Juilliard’s New York campus next February, presenting a joint recital as part of the Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series.
Following its successful U.S. tour earlier this year, the Shanghai Quartet, Tianjin Juilliard‘s resident faculty quartet, continues its 2026–27 season with performances in China and abroad.
A season highlight is the Quartet's concert on campus, featuring masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire alongside the world premiere of a new string quartet and bamboo flute work by acclaimed Chinese composer Guo Wenjing, commissioned by Tianjin Juilliard. Bamboo flutist Tang Junqiao will join the quartet in the premiere. This landmark commission reflects the school's ongoing commitment to enriching the chamber music canon while championing leading voices in contemporary Chinese composition.
The Quartet will also present an all-Mozart program at Shanghai Symphony Hall, with pianist Gerhard Oppitz and clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer. They will also join the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Huang Yi to perform John Adams' Absolute Jest.
QingXin Ensemble’s 2026-27 season explores the theme Music Brings Us Together. Through its Interactive Concert Series and Education & Outreach Series, the ensemble presents engaging performances that invite audiences to discover and connect more closely with musicians.
This season, internationally acclaimed violinist and Tianjin Juilliard faculty member, Nancy Zhou joins QingXin Ensemble as Artistic Partner. The ensemble will appear at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, The Tianjin Juilliard School, and Xinghai Concert Hall, while also bringing performances and educational activities to Peking University, Tianjin University, and Sun Yat-sen University.
The Tianjin Juilliard Pre-College offers a comprehensive, conservatory-style music program held on Saturdays for students ages 8 to 18 who demonstrate the talent, potential, and dedication to pursue advanced musical study in China and around the world. This season, the Pre-College Orchestra, conducted by Kin Szeto, and the Chamber Winds, conducted by He Sun, will each present three concerts. The Pre-College Choruses and the Youth Strings Ensemble, both led by Jiajing Lai, will each present two concerts.
Tianjin Juilliard's Public Education programs connect The Juilliard School's world-class music education with the Chinese public through programs for music learners of all ages and levels. On Sundays during the academic year, the Music Development Program offers a comprehensive curriculum for students ages 3 to 18, from early learners to advanced musicians, including instrumental and choral performances throughout the year. At the end of the next fall and spring semester, Music Development Program Chorus will present two concerts led by conductor Zeqiao Lv.
Public Education also offers music-focused Summer and Winter Camps for students ages 6 and above, welcoming participants from around the world.
Continuing Education offers programs for professional musicians and teachers, including professional development workshops such as teacher training courses for early years, primary, and secondary music teachers across China, and resources to support their career development.
Now in its fifth year, the Tianjin Juilliard Vocal Institute has become a leading platform for the development of the vocal arts, nurturing future generations of singers and vocal coaches while providing professional development opportunities for performers and educators of the vocal arts. Through creative theatrical productions and innovative programming, the Institute has captured the imagination of families, communities and connoisseurs alike. This season, Vocal Institute will present two immersive theater productions: Let’s “Opera” - Library Fantasy, and the return of A Family Show: The Magic Flute.
The Vocal Institute continues to advance the field with an impressive roster of world-class artist-teachers. The 2026-27 master class series welcomes world-renowned pedagogues including Sir Thomas Allen, Martin Katz, and Katherine Goeldner. Bringing together singers and artists across China, the Liederabende series presents a variety of programs, including Richard Strauss Vocal Music Marathon, Characters and Lives, Zweite Wiener Schule (Second Viennese School), and From Russia With Love – Soirée of Russian Art Songs.
Tickets to 2026–27 events go on sale in early September. The Tianjin Juilliard Performance Calendar on the website will have the latest updates.
Programs, dates, and artists subject to change.
Leading support for Tianjin Juilliard’s programs and performances is generously provided by Tanoto Foundation China, Bank of China Tianjin Branch, Heng An Standard Life Insurance Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Shenyi Investment Co., Ltd.
The Tianjin Juilliard Vocal Institute is generously supported by Lily and James Chiao.
Tianjin Juilliard gratefully acknowledges Mr. Zhuang Yan for his generous support of the Zhuang Yan Alumni Development Fund.