NYC Gazette

This fall, a group of Historical Performance (HP) students, faculty, and staff from Juilliard embarked on a tour in China. The itinerary included a residency at The Tianjin Juilliard School (TJS) and performances at several venues across the country: the China Conservatory in Beijing, Jiangsu Performing Arts Center in Nanjing, Jinji Lake Concert Hall in Suzhou, and the West Bund Museum in Shanghai. Karin Brookes, administrative director of HP, along with students Annemarie Schubert and Nathan Mondry from New York and Anna Zhukova and Yunbei Liu from Tianjin shared their experiences.

Karin Brookes noted the unique nature of studying historical performance: "Studying historical performance, you encounter the paradox of playing music almost exclusively more than 200 years old... while the discipline itself is very recent." Juilliard's Historical Performance department was founded in 2009 and has since become an accepted practice in North America and Europe. However, it remains largely unfamiliar in China.

The trip marked Juilliard415's inaugural tour to China. Juilliard415 is the school's principal period-instrument ensemble named after the pitch commonly associated with baroque music (A=415). During their five-day stay at TJS, they performed for an attentive audience and conducted workshops on instruments like theorbo, harpsichord, and baroque flute.

Brookes emphasized that organizing such a tour requires substantial resources but found it rewarding to introduce composers like Bach, Corelli, Handel, Rebel, and Vivaldi to new audiences.

Annemarie Schubert reflected on her unexpected opportunity to travel to China as part of her master's program: "I didn’t expect to have the privilege of traveling to China." She recounted challenges faced during their travels but expressed satisfaction with their performances across different cities.

Nathan Mondry discussed his experiences as a harpsichordist on tour. He highlighted the challenges of encountering different instruments at each venue but appreciated these experiences as part of his journey: "Such is the reality of the traveling harpsichordist."

Anna Zhukova and Yunbei Liu described their packed schedule during Juilliard415’s visit to TJS. They participated in side-by-side rehearsals with Juilliard musicians using historical instruments. Robert Mealy’s lecture on Baroque music as a second language helped them appreciate its unique interpretations. Ken Lam emphasized adaptability in music collaboration.

Mealy hoped that this visit would inspire interest in Baroque music among students. Yi Luo remarked that "hearing authentic performances... was incredibly valuable."

The visit symbolized cultural exchange through music—a universal language transcending barriers—and laid groundwork for future collaborations between institutions.