Alexander Brose (left) Photo: Courtesy of the Tianjin Juilliard School

A series of four concerts by the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra will be staged at the school's concert hall and the NCPA in May, the renowned music school announced Tuesday. 

As part of NCPA's May Music Festival, the concerts in Beijing and Tianjin will include musicians like Chen Lin, Chang Jing, Niccolo Athens, Tan Dun and Chen Qigang. 

According to Alexander Brose, executive director of the Tianjin Juilliard School, the collaboration will help "connect with our audiences in new and creative ways. Artists from NCPA can share their artistry with students. Meanwhile, our faculty and students can contribute to NCPA's diverse programming."

The highlight comes on Sunday night at the NCPA with the East Meets West concert, which will feature music from five composers including Yao Chen's "Raise One More Cup Before You Leave" and Niccolo Athens's "Three Settings from the Book of Odes." 

He Wei, artistic director of the Tianjin Juilliard School, said, "The concert is innovative and celebrates cultural understanding, musical creativity and collaborative musicianship. Works from five incredible living composers bring together elements from diverse cultures. From the seamless merging of string quartet and pipa to Chinese vocal traditions such as Peking Opera combined with Western opera and modern techniques, audiences will have an extraordinary experience."