was established on June 23 and will be on stage at Carnegie Hall on August 4 to perform excerpts from Bao Yuankai's "Yanhuang Style", Zhao Jiping's "Pipa Concerto No. 2", Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5 in E minor" and other works—— Previously, from July 26th to 27th, two preview concerts were held in Beijing. Symphony orchestras have always been known for their emphasis on integration and tacit understanding. Can the newly established Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra fulfill this important task? What's more, most of the band members are middle school students?
In August 2024, the "Wow! World Youth Orchestra Week" hosted by Carnegie Hall will kick off in New York, USA. As the world's first international music festival with the theme of youth symphony orchestras, "World Youth Orchestra Week" will bring together seven youth orchestras from five continents to perform at Carnegie Hall in turn, collaborating with the top artists in the field of classical music on the same stage. Let outstanding young people from all over the world make friends through fun and learn from each other’s civilizations.
Data map: All members took a group photo when the orchestra was established on June 23. Niu Xiaobei/photo
Invited by Carnegie Hall, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Lu Jia, the music and artistic director of the National Center for the Performing Arts, and will join hands with pipa player Wu Man. In early August, he left for the United States to participate in the "World Youth Orchestra Week". During this period, they will perform excerpts from Bao Yuankai's "Yanhuang Style", Zhao Jiping's "Pipa Concerto No. 2", and Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5 in E minor" at Carnegie Hall's Stern Hall on August 4. Chinese and Western masterpieces express the spiritual outlook of Chinese youth with moving music.
The pre-departure training of the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra has started from July 16. On July 19, during the sweltering heat, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily came to the rehearsal hall No. 3 of the National Center for the Performing Arts to have a close look at the Beijing Youth Symphony. Group training.
Live: practice one note at a time
The Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra was jointly created by the National Center for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. Its establishment was announced in Beijing on June 23. The orchestra has a total of 131 musicians, including 73 students from Beijing 101 Middle School and the Jinfan Symphony Orchestra of the Middle School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, 51 students from the Central Conservatory of Music, and 7 young people from the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra. Players, the age of the musicians is between 14-24 years old.
"Today is the first overall rehearsal for each instrument teacher, such as violin teacher, bass teacher, cello teacher, wind teacher, etc., together with the assistant conductor." Lu Jia, artistic director of the orchestra, said that in May and June, mainly After doing the preparations for the establishment of the orchestra, teaching voice parts, and two group rehearsals, the training started on July 16, and there was less than two weeks of rehearsal time before the performance. “Since the students still have exams, we have to wait for them. The formal rehearsals only started after the holidays. The training and rehearsals only lasted about two weeks, and the time was still very tight. "
As a newly formed orchestra, it needs to complete such a high-level performance in such a short period of time. It’s a big challenge for the band. "This time, some students have very high personal standards, no worse than professional performers, but to form a tacit understanding as a whole, they need to continue to work together." Lu Jia said that there are no shortcuts in the rehearsal process. "You can only practice one note at a time. Rehearsing according to the standards of a professional orchestra is even more meticulous."
The training session that day was carried out in an orderly manner. "One, two, three..." As Lu Jia raised his baton, beautiful music slowly flowed out. "Don't be anxious, slow down", "Neat, neat, neat"... Lu Jia stopped from time to time to clearly instruct the musicians. Although the faces of the young musicians are full of immaturity, they are obviously experienced in many battles. After Lu Jia's guidance, the music they played became more neat and harmonious.
Regarding the selection of repertoire for the performance, Lu Jia revealed that this time the orchestra will perform excerpts from Bao Yuankai's "Yanhuang Style", Zhao Jiping's "Pipa Concerto No. 2", Tchaikovsky's "E Minor" at the Stern Hall of Carnegie Hall Symphony No. 5" and other Chinese and Western masterpieces. “Because it is a foreign cultural exchange, we have chosen a repertoire that combines Chinese and Western styles. We want to not only bring our country’s outstanding works abroad, but also perform Western classics to show the strength of our young people."
Guidance: The biggest difficulty lies in cultivating a tacit understanding of the team.
From the first moment of its birth, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra has had high standards and a high starting point: Lu Jia, the music and artistic director of the National Center for the Performing Arts, serves as the artistic director of the orchestra; the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra Principal Li Zhe serves as the artistic consultant, assistant conductor Li Jingzhan, and multiple principal vocalists and horn player Han Xiaoguang of the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra form a mentoring team. In addition, the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra arranges individual guidance and guidance for members of the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra. In terms of teaching guidance, Li Zhe is mainly responsible for the violin part and is also responsible for each part. The principal of a section coordinates and coordinates the orchestra. Li Zhe believes that the biggest difficulty in coaching is the cultivation of team chemistry. He explained, “The symphony orchestra requires teamwork and long-term integration. To form a tacit understanding, the temporary formation means that the members did not know each other before. It is a huge challenge to achieve a tacit understanding in a short period of time. However, we are all carefully selected high-level musicians, and with positive incentives, we have established a tacit understanding in a short period of time. "
Li Zhe introduced that it is not recommended to highlight individuals in the orchestra. Although some children have outstanding individual talents and skills, in a symphony orchestra, the effect of the ensemble is the key. He also cited his own experience studying in the UK as an example, Although I felt that there was a gap in my personal performance level at that time, I was still able to produce exciting and surprising results when playing in the orchestra.
Chen Caishuang, deputy principal horn of the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra, was responsible for the rehearsal of the horn part. She revealed that the guidance content. Mainly focusing on playing method and dynamics. Chen Caishuang said that musicians sometimes have problems controlling dynamics during performance, such as playing too loud or too weak, and in concerto performance, the accuracy of counting beats is crucial.
As a mentor, Chen Caishuan focuses on the unification of playing methods, allowing each member to clarify the goals and tasks of the team; through long-term rehearsals, the musicians can develop habits and be able to self-aware of differences with the team and improve upon them. She has rich experience in international exchanges, which also makes her deeply aware of the importance of international exchanges: through international exchanges, musical talents can complete their music careers with like-minded people, and these experiences will become extremely valuable memories many years later.
" Judging from the results of today's rehearsal, the children have made great progress. I think they have exhausted all their efforts and have great confidence in preparing for this concert. "Li Zhe said, "I believe that with the joint efforts of all members, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra will shine on the New York stage. ”
Musicians: Use the time on the way to school to listen to the rehearsal repertoire
Joining a new group is both a fresh experience and a test for the musicians. Everyone needs to achieve the best state through constant familiarity and running-in. Cui Bingxuan, who plays the first violin part of
, comes from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University. She was admitted to the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra in April this year. “I remember the first rehearsal on June 7. I saw so many classmates from different schools and we all came together. Playing music is a wonderful process. ”
These students, who come from different schools, continue to improve the tacit understanding between the voices during the running-in process. Of course, they also encountered some challenges during the running-in process. Su Qi, a first-year graduate student at the Central Conservatory of Music, serves as the concertmaster in the orchestra. He said that the first problem students encountered was music terminology. “Since many in the orchestra are ordinary high school students, their understanding of music terminology is relatively limited. Director Lu Jia often uses Italian or English when conducting. Express. Therefore, it has become an important task to help Pugao students accurately understand command requirements. "Wei Yitong, who plays the percussion section, comes from Beijing 101 Middle School. She laments: For her, every rehearsal is not only a collaborative effort within the orchestra, but also a significant improvement in her own performance skills.
As students who are still in school, children of different ages put all their energy into playing in addition to completing their studies in order to show their best. Talking about how to balance the relationship between rehearsal and academic work, Cui Bingxuan from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China said that the key is to improve efficiency and focus on rehearsing during rehearsal and focus on academic work when studying. “Listen carefully to every key point the teacher says during rehearsal. and internalize it in your heart.” Wei Yitong from No. 101 Middle School shared her experience in scheduling her time, "I will complete my academic tasks at school, so that I will have more time to deepen my memory of the performance content after I get home." In addition, Wei Yi Tong also made full use of the travel time, listened to more rehearsal repertoire, and became familiar with the instrument performance of each measure.
As the orchestra’s concertmaster, Su Qi is particularly impressed. He believes that the concertmaster is an extension of the conductor’s intention. “What the concertmaster should do is to use his body language or musical instruments to the best of his ability to better implement the message the conductor wants to convey. Coordinate each part at the same time and be a good assistant to the conductor." During the "World Youth Orchestra Week", all orchestras will also join hands in the "Thousand-person Ensemble" activity conducted by Dudamel. Together, we will participate in the colorful multilateral exchange activities prepared by Carnegie Hall, presenting a touching spectacle of young people from all over the world united and playing the same piece of music. In addition, the two Chinese and American youth orchestras will also hold joint chamber music performances and other exchange activities.
Although many of these young musicians have experience of performing abroad, the opportunity to perform on the same stage with top artists on the world's top stages and to communicate with young musicians from five continents is still a very special opportunity for them. An exciting experience. “I’m really looking forward to it,” several musicians said in unison.
Chen Ge, Minister of Art Popularization Education of the National Center for the Performing Arts, said, “The birth of the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra reflects the passionate care and highest-quality resource investment of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the National Center for the Performing Arts in the art education of Beijing youth. Focusing on the mission of building the 'Six Major Platforms', the latest achievements and achievements in the construction of the 'Art Popularization Education Platform'"
Ren Xiaolong, general manager of the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra, believes that "'Beijing Qingjiao' is not just about completing a few performances. It is organized for performances or exchange activities, but aims to cultivate a new generation of young people with vision, feelings and ideals, so that children can gain noble knowledge, thinking and happiness through systematic and high-level symphony training and experience. , thereby broadening horizons and achieving self-transcendence. "
According to reports, before leaving for the United States, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra will hold two preview music performances at the National Center for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Art Center Concert Hall on July 26 and 27 respectively. meeting, taking the lead in showing the "voice of the founding group" to the audience in the capital. In addition to the performance at Carnegie Hall on August 4, the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra will perform on three major stages in Beijing and New York within one week.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily Intern Zhou Yijun
Text/Beijing Youth Daily Reporter Tian Wanting
Photography/Beijing Youth Daily Reporter Li Na
Editor/Cui Wei
