After 20 years of construction and 20 years of hardship, musicians from Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) remain true to their original aspiration and carry forward the goal. This year happens to be the 20^th anniversary of the authorization of the doctoral degree of Musicology. To celebrate this event, the School of Music of NUA carefully prepared two concerts to present the unchanging original aspiration and firm artistic pursuit of NUA musicians to the entire society.

At 19:30 of June 6, “Follow the Path · Pass the Fire——Special Concert for Young Teachers” was held in the Concert Hall of Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts. Seventeen young teachers from vocal, orchestra, folk music, and piano majors shined on the stage, showing profound professional skills and high artistic achievements.

The concert started with the beautiful and melodious cello melody. Ma Jiahua, the cello teacher, and Liu Yanze, the piano teacher, jointly performed the first movement of Cello Sonata in E Minor. Whispering from the cello reflected with the melody from the piano, expressing endless sorrow.

Ma Jiahua, cello solo

The performance was followed by two piano solo pieces. The first one was Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, which was performed by Liu Yanze. The second one was the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, which was performed by Ren Jie. The two pieces had completely different styles, with the former one being deep and introspective, while the latter one being passionate and vigorous. The combination of these two pieces gave the audience a diverse auditory experience.

Liu Yanze, piano solo

Ren Jie, piano solo

Improvisation performed by the young harp teacher, Sun Shuyan, had a beautiful melody, flowing like clouds and water and shining like pearls in the moonlight. The whole piece presented a poetic atmosphere.

                                         Sun Shuya, harp solo                             

Two young teachers from the Department of Folk Music then appeared on stage. Li Hanyue, the Guzheng teacher, performed Times with a majestic atmosphere, with the sound of the strings striking the earth like storm. Wu Yaolei, the Pipa teacher, performed Loulan Girl. Her performance combined superb skills and musical expression together, which was dizzying and mesmerizing.

Li Hanyue, Guzheng solo

Wu Yaolei, Pipa solo

Zhang Ruixue, the piano teacher, presented Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet No. 104. This piece of music was delicate and romantic, with progressive phrases expressing deep emotions.

Zhang Ruixue, piano solo

Young teachers from the Department of Orchestra presented woodwind and brass music pieces with different styles. He Haiyang, the trombone teacher, and Lu Shiyang, the young art director, jointly performed Alto Trombone Concerto in perfect harmony. The bright and warm melody of trombone softened the hearts of everyone present.

He Haiyang, trombone solo

Chen Meihong, the oboe teacher, performed the first movement of Oboe Concerto in D Minor. The long-line melody outlined brisk notes, and the rapid transitions showed exquisite skills.

Chen Meihong, oboe solo

Chen Hanlin, the clarinet teacher, performed Fantasia composed by a modern German composer. His performance fully demonstrated the extremely flexible playing skills of the clarinet, with staccato and glissando, bringing the audience a wonderful experience.

Chen Hanlin, clarinet solo

Zhuo Yanjun, the French horn teacher, performed Spain and showed superb performance skills through rapid changes in tones and blowing techniques.

Zhuo Yanjun, French horn solo

Xia Guanghao, the trumpet teacher, and Gao Chao, the young art director, jointly performed the second movement of Sonata with enthusiasm and passion. The performance received warm and continuous applause from the audience.

Xia Guanghao, trumpet solo

Afterwards, young teachers from the Department of Vocal Music brought some excerpts from famous operas. In A Faraway Place performed by Qin Tian showed a vivid image of a hero. Gu Luanxiong brought a wonderful performance of a classic tenor aria, De Miei Bollenti Spiriti from Verti’s opera La Traviata, vividly showing the deep love in the hero’s heart. Mein Herr Marquis brought by Tang Lin, the lyric coloratura, received extremely hearty applause. The intervals and “laughing voices” in the melody were still memorable long after the concert.

Qin Tian, male vocal solo

Gu Luanxiong, male vocal solo

Tang Lin, female vocal solo

The new generation of NUA young teachers brought their most exciting performances to the audience, and the audience responded with the warmest applause during the entire process. The concert ended with endless applause.

Group photo of leaders, guests, and young teachers

At 19:30 of June 7, “Follow the Path · Pass the Fire——Special Concert for Nanjing University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra” was held in the Concert Hall of Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts. The symphony orchestra concert was conducted by Xu Zhilian, the conductor and Distinguished Professor of NUA, Ju Yun and Zou Qingyu, teachers of NUA and young conductors.

NUA Symphony Orchestra was established in 1982. It is composed of 90 teachers and students majoring in Orchestra from the School of Music. The orchestra shows rigorous skills, rich expressiveness, and passionate attitude. It is especially good at performing European and American classic symphony works and excellent Chinese music. The symphony orchestra concert was jointly presented by the symphony orchestra and the outstanding young teachers from the School of Music.

The concert started with Slavonic Dances No.8 conducted by Mr. Ju Yun. Slavonic Dances is one of Dvořák’s masterpieces. No.8 is composed of two contrasting themes which constantly appears and changes during the performance, bring the audience a both passionate and lyrical experience.

Ju Yun, conductor

Afterwards, Valse Triste, Les Patineurs, Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte were played in sequence. There was not only Vienna-style waltz, but also dances from the European courts in the early sixteenth century. Under the superb conducting of Mr. Ju Yun, NUA Symphony Orchestra presented the audience with a beautiful image of dancing.

Mein Herr Marquis jointly performed by Tang Lin, the lyric coloratura, and NUA Symphony Orchestra set off a small climax of the concert. The intervals and “laughing voices” in the melody were still lingering long after the concert.

Tang Lin, female vocal solo

Carmen “Overture” conducted by Mr. Zou Qingyu opened the second chapter of the concert. Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, brought everyone into a poetic and elegant world.

Zou Qingyu, conductor

The Haixia suite was created by Mr. Wang Ming, a famous Chinese composer. It was based on the soundtrack he made for the movie Haixia in 1975, and was composed in the form of an orchestral suite. Weaving and Harvesting were performed in this concert. They depicted a vivid labour scene, showing the daily life of Haixia along with other female soldiers.

Nessun Dorma is the most famous aria in the opera Turandot adapted based on a fairy tale by the famous composer Giacomo Puccini. With the accompaniment of the symphony orchestra, Mr. Qin Tian showed great vocal tension, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

Qin Tian, male vocal solo

The third chapter of the concert started with Overture of Symphony No.1 conducted by Mr. Xu Zhilian. Overture of Symphony No.1 was re-created by composer Guan Xia based on the music of the opera Sorrowful Dawn in 2003. It is widely-known as the soundtrack of TV series Blazing Ages.

Xu Zhilian, conductor

Afterwards, the symphony orchestra performed two Chinese symphonies. The first one was an orchestral music adapted by Prof. Wang Jianyuan, the composer and PhD supervisor of the School of Music, based on the Yangzhou folk music Yangliuqing of the same name. The second one was adapted by Mr. Chang Chang, the permanent conductor of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Symphony Orchestra, based on My Motherland of the same name, the soundtrack of the movie Triangle Hill. Both performances aroused great resonance from the audience.

After these two symphonies, the symphony orchestra performed The Moldau by the Czeth composer Bedřich Smetana. This piece described the course of the running Vltava, woods and lively countryside, peaceful moonshine, perilous gorges, and ancient castles.

Finally, the concert came to an end with the song Building the Chinese Dream Together jointly performed by four teachers, Tang Lin, Zhou Jie, Qin Tian, and Gu Luanxiong.

Quartet by Tang Lin, Zhou Jie, Qin Tian, and Gu Luanxiong

In the warm applause of the audience, the conductor Xu Zhilian led the orchestra to call off the curtain three times, and finally added Radesky March, which pushed the atmosphere of the concert to the climax.

Music has become a common language for everyone, connecting everyone's hearts. The audience's joy and sympathy are conveyed to the artists through the endless applause. This kind of feedback is precious, and it inspires the orchestra to go further and present more exciting performances to the audience in the future.

“Follow the Path · Pass the Fire” series of concerts not only demonstrate the teaching achievements of the 20-year construction of doctoral programme of Musicology of the School of Music of NUA, but also presents a high-quality art and cultural experience to the public. The School of Music of NUA will continue to work hard, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, continuously improve the teaching level and academic strength, and make new and greater contributions to the development of music disciplines in China and to the cultivation of more music talents with both professional excellence and moral integrity. As the saying goes, remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our pace firmly on the avenue!

(School of Music)