The Tianjin Juilliard School to Host Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum in May

30 conservatories, music schools, and organizations from around the world will gather at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China

To be held from May 26 – 31, 2025, The Tianjin Juilliard School and The Juilliard School will present the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum in Tianjin, China. To celebrate the orchestral experience and examine the future of music education, the week-long gathering will unite young musicians and institutional leaders from thirty international conservatories, music schools, and organizations.

The Symposium will include workshops, rehearsals, and performances for young musicians from Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe. In addition to chamber music performances at various venues in Tianjin, participating schools will send three to five students to play in the Symposium Orchestra.

This week-long experience will culminate in an orchestral concert at the Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall on May 30. Conducted by David Robertson — director of conducting studies and distinguished visiting faculty at The Juilliard School — the Symposium Orchestra will perform The Rhyme of Taigu by Zhou Long, excerpts from Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.

From May 27 to 29,  the Leadership Forum will focus on the question: “The Global Music Performance and Education Environment: Must the Paradigm Change?”

From keynote addresses, roundtable discussions, and breakout sessions, participants will explore topics like cultural exchange, international educational initiatives, and artistic challenges. In particular, attendees will have the opportunity to see the commonalities and differences across the field of music education, plus share perspectives from China, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Singapore.

“The Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum provide a special opportunity for music conservatory leaders and students from around the world to come together, meaningfully discuss the most important issues of our time related to music performance and education, and make music in a unique setting,” said Joseph W. Polisi, Juilliard’s president emeritus and chief China officer. “Bringing together so many representatives of the global music community is a historic occasion that we hope will have a positive influence on music education in China and beyond."

“At Tianjin Juilliard, we are proud to offer a platform where young musicians and leaders of music schools from around the world can come together, collaborate, and exchange ideas,” said Wei He, CEO and artistic director of The Tianjin Juilliard School. “The Orchestral Symposium and Leadership Forum reflect our core belief that music is about connection between individuals, cultures, and traditions. As the demand for orchestral talent continues to grow across China, we hope that this initiative will help support the development of a vibrant and sustainable musical landscape in the region. At the same time, we aim to foster a deeper sense of artistic collaboration and global understanding of the state of the performing arts and music education within our international community.”

You can learn more about the initiative, here.

International institutions participating in this event include:

Aspen Music Festival and School; Colburn School; Curtis Institute of Music; The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory (Toronto); Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; The Juilliard School; Korea National University of Arts; Melbourne Conservatorium of Music; New England Conservatory; Oberlin Conservatory of Music; Royal Academy of Music (London); Shepherd School of Music, Rice University; Yale School of Music; and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore

A list of participating institutions from Greater China can be found below:

Central Conservatory of Music; China Conservatory of Music; China Symphony Development Foundation; Harbin Conservatory of Music; The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; League of China Orchestras; Shanghai Conservatory of Music; Shenyang Conservatory of Music; School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; Sichuan Conservatory of Music; The Tianjin Juilliard School; Tianjin Conservatory of Music; Wuhan Conservatory of Music; Xi'an Conservatory of Music; Xinghai Conservatory of Music; and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music