Students perform at The Tianjin Juilliard School Concert Hall. Photo: Courtesy of The Tianjin Juilliard School

The Tianjin Juilliard School on Tuesday held its inauguration, where Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan sent her congratulations and wishing the campus can act as a bridge to strengthen cultural and people-people exchanges between China and the US.

On Tuesday Tianjin welcomed a new city landmark, The Tianjin Juilliard School, the first overseas campus the well-known New York Juilliard School has ever had. After the inauguration ceremony, a celebration concert was held at the school's concert hall in the afternoon.

"Art is a bridge that crosses national boundaries and connects people. The strengthening of education between China and the US is conducive to cultivating more outstanding talents, enhancing cultural exchanges and mutual learning, and spreading art and promoting friendship between the two countries," Peng said in her congratulatory letter on Tuesday. 

The ceremony was attended by former Juilliard School president Joseph William Polisi, famous Chinese conductor Yu Long, The Tianjin Juilliard School's executive director Alexander Brose, art director and academic dean He Wei and famous musician Wang Hongwei along with local Tianjin officials, who offered their own congratulations.

Brose told the Global Times that the ceremony was a "historic milestone for music education and cultural exchanges."

"Today's event is very important for The Tianjin Juilliard School, and we want to celebrate the completion of such a music culture exchange and collaboration center with everyone," said Brose.

The Tianjin Juilliard School campus Photo: Courtesy of The Tianjin Juilliard School

Talking about the origin of the Tianjin campus, Polisi noted in the Tuesday's after-ceremony interview that it was a decade-long effort before the campus was settled down.

"We have worked for over 10 years to arrive at this moment," said Polisi.

Polisi noted that the ceremony was a time "when we can celebrate the beginning of a collaboration between China and the US that will flourish for many years to come."  

"When I came to experience this campus in person a week ago, I saw the beautiful roof, stones and trees. This will be a great campus both in China and in the world."

The school's officials also talked about how music from China and the US can communicate through The Tianjin Juilliard School as a bridge.

As the international branch of The Juilliard school in New York, Tianjin Juilliard will cooperate with domestic music education institutions as well as professional orchestras such as the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to perform both the traditional Chinese and Western music. The school's orchestra also has plans to perform at the Wuhan Music Festival at the end of 2021.

The school places great value on giving students in Tianjin opportunities to communicate with the New York base.

"The school also hopes that in the future, Tianjin students can go to New York," said He.

"Though now they are affected by the pandemic, we have held online activities such as lectures to better communicate between students in Tianjin and New York," said He.

"We are one school, and we are trying to fully integrate the two when it comes to running the school, the school branding and other aspects."

Global Times