A welcoming ceremony was held on September 21 for the students of the Zhejiang Conservatory of China, who will pursue part of their studies at the Conservatory as international exchange students during the academic year 2022-2023. This exchange is part of the collaboration agreement signed by the Liceu Conservatory Foundation and the Zhejiang Conservatory.
The event was chaired by the General Director of the Liceu Conservatory Foundation, Dr. Maria Serrat, who highlighted the continuous and fruitful collaboration that the Conservatory has developed with various institutions in China and in the framework of which numerous activities have been carried out, as well as the role of music as an instrument to overcome cultural and linguistic differences and as a bridge of communication and mutual understanding.
The Consul General of China in Barcelona, Mr. Zhu JingYang, highlighted the importance of this exchange and encouraged the students to make the most of their stay at the Conservatory and in Barcelona, a dynamic city of international reference that has always played an important role in promoting relations between China and Spain.
The President of the Zhejiang Conservatory, Mr. Wang Rui and his management team, Jing Liu, President of the Zhong-xi-qiao association, as well as the Academic Director of the Conservatori Liceu, Mr. Víctor Estapé and the Department Heads of the Conservatory also participated in the event from China via videoconference. The event was closed with the participation of Conservatori Liceu student Adrià Perea, who offered a musical welcome to the Chinese students performing Antonio Soler’s Sonata in G minor R. 87 and Isaac Albéniz’s El Albaicín.
This activity is part of the initiatives that the Conservatori Liceu Foundation has been carrying out for years with counterpart institutions in China and that have allowed the development of activities such as the presentation in 1999 of Mozart’s opera Der Schauspieldirektor in Beijing and other Chinese cities, the presentation of the Zhejiang Youth Orchestra at the Auditorium of the Conservatori Liceu in 2018, and the China-Spain International Music Competitions (Edition 2020, for violin, and Edition 2021 for violin, flute and clarinet), which counted with the participation of 200 musicians from the most important Conservatories in China and from some musical institutions of international reference. It is also worth mentioning the musicians from China who in recent years have completed their musical training in Barcelona in our Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.