Juilliard’s President Emeritus and Chief China Officer, Joseph W. Polisi, envisioned a permanent venue designed to spark the creative imagination and provide compelling learning experiences for students and audience members throughout the year. Juilliard Imagination will be a welcoming space for audiences throughout the Tianjin-Beijing region and beyond, providing a unique opportunity for the public to learn about Juilliard and engage with classical music in new ways.

Visitors and students will be able to explore the rich tapestry of music, dance, and drama through specially curated displays with exciting audio and visual interactive experiences, all enhanced by the most advanced technology powered by Sony Corporation.

From a priceless manuscript collection to exciting performances coming alive through the latest virtual reality technology, there is much to discover at this venue. Through Juilliard Imagination, we invite you to immerse yourself in the creative and artistic continuum led by generations of Juilliard artists, teachers, and leaders. Learn more about Juilliard Imagination’s curated sections below.

Treasures

Treasures is a trove of rare musical manuscripts and first editions comprising 146 selections from the Juilliard Manuscript Collection. Visitors can explore works by composers such as Bach, Brahms, and Verdi and enjoy excerpts from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with accompanying music from Juilliard performance recordings, while following the notated music in the manuscript. Discover the final working manuscript of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with extensive revisions, corrections, and alterations by the composer; the manuscript of the final scene of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; and an extensively revised manuscript of approximately the last 50 measures of the first movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony.

 

Panorama

Take your time in fully experiencing Panorama, a sweeping 20-meter high-definition multimedia wall installation, and enjoy highlights of Juilliard performances in opera, chamber music, dance, and orchestra. These captivating performances truly embody the artistry of Juilliard’s community. Also featured are interactive visual art installations accompanied by musical selections from the Steinway Spirio catalogue, performances by Tianjin Juilliard students and faculty, and more. We invite you to enjoy the boundless creativity that is Juilliard in the studio, on stage, and in the virtual space.

Playlist

“Mahler's Fourth Symphony is my favorite symphony of his because there is so much joy. The first step in music-making is to have fun.” – Long Yu, renowned conductor

Playlist is a high-resolution music station providing music listening through Sony technology, representing the state-of-the art in sound reproduction. Musical selections are curated by renowned educators, alumni, and artists from the Juilliard community, including Renée Fleming, David Robertson, Long Yu, and John Williams. The Juilliard Playlist features works of importance from across a wide variety of composers and genres, from traditional music to contemporary works. Listen to recordings by Leontyne Price, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and more. Let music from our singular playlist transport you to new levels of listening.

 

Signature

In Signature, visitors can leave their custom mark on the exhibition by playing a three-octave keyboard to create original musical compositions, or using a mobile device to draw unique works of visual art. These ‘signature’ creations are then played and displayed on an interactive multimedia screen and then bring home to share with friends and family. We invite you to use your imagination!

 

 

Soundscape

The Juilliard Soundscape creates an engaging virtual-reality sound field experience in the space. Use special Sony headphones and handheld devices to explore Juilliard performances across the divisions of dance, drama, and music at distinct stations, with the special opportunity of experiencing Schubert’s iconic “Death and the Maiden” Quartet performed by the Juilliard String Quartet. Join this “virtual quartet” and listen to the distinctive parts of each instrument. This unique three-dimensional sound experience and immersive environment is sure to surprise and astound you.