Chinese-American soprano enables nonprofit arts model to gain dual cultural, economic value

According to the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, jointly published by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the US arts and culture industry contributed $1.17 trillion in value added in 2023, accounting for 4.2 percent of the US GDP and employing 5.4 million people across the industry. Among these, nonprofit performing arts organizations contributed 40 percent of the value added in the performing arts segment, assuming — alongside the creation of direct value — the functions of talent cultivation and public cultural supply.

This concert is a typical practice of the nonprofit model: box-office revenue is prioritized to cover venue and direct performance costs, the project does not aim at commercial profit, and core resources are tilted toward young artistic talent.

The SolAria Music Foundation established the Young Leaders Board, whose philosophy is to cultivate not only stage performers but also young talent capable of cultural operations.

One culturally resonant moment at the concert came when Jiang invited the entire audience to join in singing the classic Chinese song May We Share the Moon Forever, achieving an emotional resonance that transcended languages and ethnic groups.

At a time when AI technology is rapidly permeating the music industry, this live concert confirmed the irreplaceable humanistic value of live performance: live performance by real people drives venue rental, labor, promotion and ancillary consumption, while also producing the non-monetary benefits of cultural dissemination and cross-civilization exchange. NEA-related research indicates that, in addition to direct economic output, live arts performances also carry social benefits.

Please contact the writer at hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn