Year
2015
Organisation
INTERNATIONALE KULTURBRÜCKE & MUSIKVEREIN ÖSTERREICH
Vocals
ANNETTE SCHÖNMÜLLER
Cooperation partner
KUNSTUNIVERSITÄT GRAZ (KUG)
Orchestra
SHANGHAI SINFONIETTA & ENSEMBLE ZEITFLUSS
Location
HELMUT LIST HALLE & KUG, GRAZ & SHANGHAI SPRING INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015, CHINA
Shanghai Sinfonietta
The cultural exchange of contemporary classical music was the aim of the organisation International Kulturbruecke & Musikverein Oesterreich, when it invited musicians from China to join with music students from the Graz Music University. The musical exchange program provided young Austrian musicians with the opportunity to explore and experiment with traditional Chinese instruments and compositions, while giving their Chinese counterparts an insight into European perspectives of classical music. Supported by the AVL Cultural Foundation, the project created a valuable discourse into cross-cultural creativity.
A concert by the Shanghai Sinfonietta, under the conductorship of world-famous maestro Zhang Liang – the highlight of the exchange program – included five new contemporary music creations by the Austrian music students. Chinese instruments such as the sheng, pipa, guzheng and erhu were set to Western-style compositions, accompanied by opera singer Annette Schönmüller. The audience’s response was palpable.
In return, the Graz-based ensemble Zeitfluss travelled to China to perform at the 2015 Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, furthering the cultural interchange of music between these two countries .