The 2023 NUA Sino-Australia International Music Culture Exchange Week, themed “Transcendence, Integration, and Innovation”, was successfully held from November 8th to 17th, featuring a variety of academic exchange activities and concerts. This highly anticipated event was jointly hosted by Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA), Edith Cowan University of Australia, and the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, and was organized by the Department of International Exchanges and Cooperation, School of Popular Music, and School of Music of NUA.

A ten-member delegation from Edith Cowan University of Australia visited NUA, mainly composed of professors from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). The delegation memblude Mr. Geoffrey Lancaster, Professor of Fortepiano Performance Practice and Performance Theory, Mr. Jonathan Paget, Dean of the Schers incool of Music and Professor of Classical Guitar, Mr. Stewart Smith, Keyboard Instrument Professor, Mr. Paul Tunzi, Expert in Early Keyboard Instrument Restoration, Mr. Tim White, Director of the Classical Music Department and Professor of Percussion, Mr. Jamie Oehlers, Director of the Jazz Music Department, Mr. Nick Abbey, Lecturer of Jazz and Contemporary Bass, and student representative Jake Smith. The delegation was accompanied by Jennifer Halton, Associate Dean (International Affairs) of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and Guo Fengmei, International Account Manager of Edith Cowan University.

On the evening of November 8th, a remarkable concert entitled “The Beauties of the Viennese Fortepiano” was held at the Recital Hall of the School of Music. The concert featured a replica of the 1795 Anton Walter fortepiano.This type of piano concert is the first of its kind in China, signifying the commencement of research into the performance practice of period instruments in China.

On November 9th, the Lecture Room 116 of the Performing Arts Building was buzzing with activity. Over a hundred Chinese classical guitar professionals gathered for the China-Australia Classical Guitar Exchange Conference and National Classical Guitar Pedagogic Conference, where they shared the latest developments and research achievements in the field of classical guitar.

At 7 p.m., a classical guitar concert titled “The Harmony of Friendship: The Guitar Then and Now” was held at the Recital Hall of the School of Music. A lineup of talented performers, including Jonathan Paget, Danny Yeh, Ding Wuhong (Classical Guitarist and Composer), Tang Zhiyun and Wang Yijin (Lecturers from the Classical Guitar Department of the School of Popular Music, NUA), and Huang Cen (Lecturer from the School of Popular Music, NUA), jointly performed several classical guitar solo and ensemble works.

On the same day, the Multi-function Hall 648 of the Performing Arts Building hosted an Improvisation Workshop. Students majoring in Chinese Folk Music, Orchestral Music, Electronic Organ, and other related majors actively participated in the activity. Together with Professor Stewart Smith, they jointly completed an improvisation piece based on Li Bai’s “Ballads of Four Seasons”.

On November 10th, the International Symposium on Cross-cultural Studies of Music Performance took place at the Lecture Room 116 of the Performing Arts Building. The symposium brought together professors and teachers from both countries to share their knowledge and insights on various aspects of music performance practice, exploring the diversity and creativity of music performance art from different perspectives. The speakers at the symposium included Geoffrey Lancaster, Jonathan Paget, Stewart Smith, Jamie Oehlers, Nick Abbey, and Huang Cen.

On November 13th, the International Seminar on the Restoration and Replication Techniques of Ancient Musical Instruments kicked off at the Lecture Room 116 of the Performing Arts Building. The attendees include Tan Baoli, Vice President of the Tuning Branch of the China Musical Instrument Association, a number of experts and scholars from prestigious institutions such as the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Xi’an Conservatory of Music, and the Piano Academy at Gulangyu of the Central Conservatory of Music, as well as representatives from companies such as Beijing Pearl River Piano Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The seminar was the first attempt in the field of ancient musical instrument restoration and replication in China, which would provide new ideas for the research of ancient Chinese musical instruments and the development of the Chinese musical instrument industry.

On the same day, the Multi-function Hall 648 of the Performing Arts Building hosted an Improvisation Workshop. Students majoring in Chinese Folk Music, Orchestral Music, Electronic Organ, and other related majors actively participated in the activity. Together with Professor Stewart Smith, they jointly completed an improvisation piece based on Li Bai’s “Ballads of Four Seasons”.

On November 14th, the China-Australian Jazz Exchange Seminar and Jazz Workshop took center stage at the Ensemble Room 110 of the Performing Arts Building. Teachers and students from related majors of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music were invited to the event, where they rehearsed original compositions and exchanged jazz music improvisational techniques with Mr. Jamie Oehlers and Mr.Nick Abbey, as well as teachers and students from the School of Popular Music of NUA. At 7 p.m.,the Popular Music Theater hosted a jazz concert titled “Cross-Continental Improvisations”, where teachers and students from four schools in China and Australia presented exceptional performances. The original compositions created by students are refreshing, fully demonstrating the new strength of Chinese jazz music.

On the same day, the Classical Chinese Poetry Composition Works Performance and Award Ceremony was held at the Recital Hall of the School of Music. Previously, WAAPA launched a call for classical Chinese poetry composition works in July 2023 and invited NUA teachers and students to submit their works. After a rigorous selection process, three works were selected for the finals. At the finals, Professor Jonathan Paget played the guitar, and vocal major students Wang Xiaoying, Wang Jingwen, and Wang Anwen from NUA performed the songs. After the joint evaluation of the China-Australian jury, the work “Jin Se” composed by Lucas Philip (Brazil), a graduate student of the Composition Department of the School of Music, won the first prize.

On the 15th of November at 7:00 p.m., the Closing Ceremony of the Sino-Australia International Music Culture Exchange Week and the “East Meets West: A Celebration” Comprehensive Performance Concert were conducted at the Experimental Theater, presenting a wonderful performance. Invited guests included Mr. Jordan Aitken, Consul of the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, Ms. Sophie He, Head of Public Diplomacy at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, Ms. Lu Juan, Chief Commercial Representative of the Western Australian Government in China, Delegation from Edith Cowan University of Australia, Zhang Jun, First-level Researcher of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, Wang Jian, Director of the America and Oceania Office, Zou Rongting, Deputy Director of the America and Oceania Office, Zhang Linghao, President of Nanjing University of the Arts, Zhang Jie, Vice President of Nanjing University of the Arts, Yu Rui, Director of the Department of International Exchanges and Cooperation, Wang Min, Dean of the School of Popular Music, Wang Xiaojun, Dean of the School of Music,etc,. The closing ceremony was hosted in both Chinese and English by Zhou Jun and Gao Zhongxuan, teachers from the School of Film and Television of NUA.

From left to right: Zhang Jun, Zhang Linghao

Mr. Zhang Linghao, on behalf of Nanjing University of the Arts, warmly welcomed the guests from both China and Australia. He mentioned that the China-Australia International Music Culture Exchange Week has further promoted cross-cultural academic exchanges between the two schools. Mr. Zhang Linghao also highlighted the establishment of the “International Joint Research Center for Ancient Musical Instruments Restoration and Performance Practice” by the two schools. He emphasized that this joint initiative will help promote the construction of the theoretical discourse system of music performance and write a new chapter of international academic cooperation in the field of music culture. Moreover, he expressed his hope for the two schools to deepen cooperation and jointly contribute to the global art education.

Speech by Zhang Linghao

Zhang Jun, Jordan Aitken, Zhang Jie, and Jonathan Paget unveiled the nameplates for the “Research Center for Ancient Musical Instruments Restoration” and the “Research Center for Performance Practice Theory”.

From left to right: Zhang Jie, Jordan Aitken, Zhang Jun, and Jonathan Paget

After the unveiling ceremony, Wang Min, on behalf of the School of Popular Music, presented a replica of the Tang Dynasty Five-Stringed Pipa to Jonathan Paget, representative of Edith Cowan University.

The concert was hosted in both Chinese and English by Professor Tim White from Edith Cowan University and Ren Shaoren, a teacher from the School of Popular Music of NUA.

The concert featured a variety of musical performances, including classical guitar, fortepiano, percussion ensemble, improvised ensemble, and jazz ensemble. Many of the pieces performed were original works by students and teachers from both China and Australia, and the jazz ensemble piece “Jinling” and the improvisation piece “Ballads of Four Seasons” were specially created for this event. The joint performance by Chinese and Australian students and teachers fully demonstrated the in-depth cross-cultural exchange and close cooperation between the two schools. The concert ended on a high note with the lively Dunhuang ancient musical dance performance, “Jiu Tian Chang He·Ji Hu Xiang Wen” (meaning “gate of the ninth heaven · dialogue in presto”). At this point, the China-Australia International Music Culture Exchange Week came to a successful conclusion.

Classical Guitar Ensemble

Fortepiano Performance

Percussion Ensemble

Improvisation Piece: Ballads of Four Seasons

Jazz Ensemble by Chinese and Australian Students and Faculty

Dunhuang Ancient Musical Dance: Jiu Tian Chang He·Ji Hu Xiang Wen

Music has long served as a crucial means of connecting people across cultures in the world, and the 2023 NUA China-Australia International Music Culture Exchange Week has made significant contributions in this regard. It has played a vital role in advancing Chinese music performance practice and theoretical discourse construction, promoting music performance theory education and research, preserving China’s musical heritage, and bolstering China’s global influence in the field of music.