Young Chinese artists overseas promote Chinese music culture

This year's Beijing Music Festival ended on Monday after 25 days of performances. The festival, which is widely recognized as a platform to nurture young music talent, closed with a concert featuring the American soprano Renee Fleming.

"What I would love to see happen in general is tremendous support for young artists here in China, and of course, singers are very close to my heart," said Fleming.

American soprano Renee Fleming sings at a concert to mark the end of this year's Beijing Music Festival on Monday, October 28, 2019.[Photo provided to China Plus]

The involvement of the young musician in this year's festival helped to promote the event and Chinese music more broadly.

The Mahler Chamber Orchestra also performed during the festival. The orchestra's concert was dedicated to pieces by Chinese composers such as the young composer Zhou Tian.

Zhou now lives overseas, and says that since he moved, the more frequent exchanges he's had with artists outside China has brought greater flexibility and inspiration to his compositions.

"However, our nationality is something in our blood, so when we compose, the listeners might sense our origin," Zhou told Maestro Yu Long, the founder of the festival, at a public talk during the festival.

Echoing his sentiments, Yu said that young composers who become increasingly international often still produce works with a distinct country of origin. He added that there shouldn't be a clear cut line dividing music into Eastern or the Western, and that Chinese musicians should work together to raise the profile of their music worldwide.

The annual Beijing Music Festival is one of the world's major music events, and a platform to gather Chinese and international musicians and classical and jazz music fans.

Renee Fleming, who said she's treated like a rock star in China, described the festival as a "global talent search, and we share culture that way. I think that's so good for the world."