Italian musicians plant 'seeds of art' in hearts of Chinese students

The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences invited three Italian musicians to host master classes and the Voice of Autumn concert respectively on Oct 28 and 29.

This year, the musicians invited were Italian flutist Andrea Ceccomori, pianist Sebastiano Brusco and soprano Chiara Giudice.

The concert on Oct 29 comprised 15 pieces, opening with a piano and flute duet of Winter from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

Apart from classical music pieces, the program included an original flute solo Inno Alla Pace (Hymn to Peace) written and performed by Ceccomori, a rendition of the Chinese violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers, and classic Chinese song My Motherland with the university's professor Zhu Wei playing the erhu (a two-stringed fiddle).

According to Zhu, also a contemporary artist and executive director of the university's Tsungdao Lee Science and Art Center, the concert is a key event of the university's Conversation with Masters series. For eight consecutive years, the series has been inviting international artists to give lectures, exhibitions and concerts.

A day before the concert, Zhu invited the musicians to his art appreciation course and host master classes, which were open to all faculty and students from the university. Around 200 students attended the classes.

"Our goal in organizing these events is to plant the seeds of art in the hearts of science students. We aim to spark innovative thinking in their future scientific research, nurture their sense of humanism, and empower them to tackle challenges from a broader and deeper perspective," Zhu said.