Speaking of conductors ...and music in China

Did you see the fantastic feature about former Cincinnati conductor Xian Zhang in today's Wall Street Journal? Not sure I can link to this, but the article mentions that she grew up in Dandong China and studied for her doctorate at CCM, before she was "discovered" by Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic.

Zhang, 33, now on the conducting staff of the New York Philharmonic, is guest conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic this weekend in an all-American program of music by Leonard Bernstein, Copland and Gershwin. (The photo is of Xian conducting Cincinnati Opera's "La Boheme" in Music Hall.)

Xian, the article says, "belongs to a new generation of musicians from China, where rapid economic development is fueling demand for Western goods and culture. Today an estimated 40 million children on the mainland are learning to play the violin or the piano."

It reminded me that last week, oboist Liang Wang, former principal oboist of the Cincinnati Symphony, born in Qing Dao China, was featured in the New York Times and on NPR for his rapid ascent to the top. He's now principal oboe with the New York Philharmonic. Here's a link to his myspace page.

That reminded me about my conversation with Kurt Sassmannshaus, CCM violin prof who heads the Starling program at CCM and runs the Great Wall Academy in Beijing, now for the third summer. His violinmasterclass.com Web site -- teaching methods for kids using online videos -- now has 18,000 subscribers, he says. The site is currently in English and Chinese. Soon you'll also see it available in German, Spanish, Korean and Japanese, he says.

"For the last 25 years, we've had Chinese students at CCM. It's true that nowadays, it's no longer a one-way street. Chinese orchestras are sometimes looking for Western musicians," Sassmannshaus says.

"So with the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe and the opening of China, musicians are swirling around the globe in every direction. I tell my students that they are always competing internationally, no matter where they go, whether it's for a job at the University of Iowa or Beijing."

Meanwhile, the Starling Chamber Orchestra is planning another tour of China for November 2007.