Bank sees value in arts sponsorship

The Wangfujing Church Concert has been a highlight of the Beijing Music Festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We are lucky to cooperate with Zhu, because her spirit of pursuit of excellence perfectly matches UBS' brand and culture," Qian said.

"We have three important behavior codes, and one of them is challenge. It does not mean to challenge colleagues or clients for the sake of challenging others, but to stop being satisfied with status quo and do better for ourselves," he said.

Qian also told China Daily that Zhu has played Goldberg Variations for more than 25 years, which is also in line with UBS's commitment to perseverance.

On Oct 14, the company organized a lunch meeting between Zhu and its Chinese staff at its Beijing office. "Conversations with top musicians can strengthen the staff's interest and understanding of classical music and its development in China," he said.

Many other music activities are also organized by UBS for its employees in Beijing and Shanghai annually to help the company better integrate into the Chinese community.

Himself a fan of music, Qian said he learned singing as a child and attended an art primary school for several years. When he was a postgraduate student at Oxford and later worked in the City of London, he often went to the Barbican Center, a large music hall on the south bank of the Thames River, to hear classical music concerts.

UBS has a long tradition of sponsoring art and sports around the world.