Premiere Chinese Classical Music Event, YMCG, Featured More Than 27% International Participants

We last reported on China’s Youth Music Culture Greater Bay Area (YMCG) program back in 2022. At the time, cellist Yo-Yo Ma was the artistic director with conductor Michael Stern as music director. Since then, Maestro Daniel Harding has assumed the music director role, while YMCG (formerly Youth Music Culture Guangdong) continues under the leadership of conductor and founder Maestro Long Yu.

International Scope

The January 2025 edition of YMCG gathered students and professionals from the Greater Bay Area (a part of South China that includes Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao and other megacities) and around the world, with more than 27% of of the student participants hailing from outside China. The 98 selected were the top applicants from a pool of hundreds. They hailed from prestigious educational programs including the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Harvard University, Yale University, and leading conservatories in China and Asia. Participants also included young professionals from orchestras in China, the U.S. and Europe.

After a week of intensive training and mentorship under Harding and the other mentors, the YMCG Orchestra delivered widely praised performances of symphonic masterpieces, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”), in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The orchestra, the centerpiece of the program’s training, accepts talented young musicians under 30 from around the world. Since 2017 it has gathered annually in the Greater Bay Area during YMCG with distinguished faculty including members of ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic.

Hundreds of young musicians from 21 countries and 59 cities have received mentoring from world-class artists at YMCG. Álvarez Alegría is a trombonist studying at the Berlin Philharmonic’s Karajan Academy. When he heard about YMCG, he said, “I was eager to come. Being here feels like a dream come true.” Musical activities aside, he noted, “Chinese people are incredibly friendly, and I’ve had no trouble making friends.”

Scholarships were also awarded. The Fanqi Music Fellowship and the Steven Ying Music Fellowship Award cover travel, tuition, and accommodations to support exceptionally talented young musicians.

Conducting and Composing

New at the January 2025 YMCG were a conducting masterclass and an orchestral composition competition.

The former welcomed five talented young conductors selected from an international pool of 57 applicants. Through Maestro Harding’s expert mentorship and personalized guidance they had the opportunity to rehearse with the YMCG Orchestra, gaining invaluable insights into the art of conducting, from mastering orchestral communication to refining their interpretative skills.

For its part, the “2025 YMCG Call for Compositions” aimed to nurture young composers and encourage their creativity in crafting work that reflects the rich culture of China’s Greater Bay Area. Two outstanding pieces – Li Tianran’s “Spring Snow at Meiguan” and Wang Peicheng’s “Recall and Cherish the Time” – were selected from among dozens of submissions to premiere during YMCG. Both won wide acclaim from audiences.

Cultural Connection

The 2025 YMCG spread its wings across the Greater Bay Area, with concerts, lectures, and public events at Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Complex and Xinghai Concert Hall.

The YMCG Orchestra performed memorably at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. The tour also included community outreach concerts at landmark locations and insightful dialogues with university scholars and students. Another highlight was the “Music All Around” community concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, linking the YMCG with one of that city’s most cherished public concert series.

YMCG is the only initiative of its kind in China. Over eight years it has evolved to include a rich array of activities and formats and immersive cultural experiences. In so doing it continues to further its goal of reshaping global perceptions of China’s cultural influence in classical music and beyond. This year’s notably international flavor signals that cultural communication and exchange can remain vigorous in an uncertain world – and incalculably valuable, both inside and outside the concert hall.

https://blogcritics.org/premiere-chinese-classical-music-event-ymcg-featured-more-than-27-international-participants/