Young audiences develop an ear for classical music

Performances embraced by vibrant concertgoers

Before 8 am on a chilly Saturday last month, people were lining up outside the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

That day－Dec 22－more than 50 public programs were staged to celebrate the center's 11th anniversary. The venue opened to audiences for free, a tradition since 2009.

Among the 10,000 people who went to the center that day was 12-year-old Beijing native Kang Ning, a big fan of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's animated films and their musical scores composed by his compatriot, Joe Hisaishi.

The boy was eagerly awaiting a live performance by the NCPA Orchestra featuring music from Miyazaki's films, including Spirited Away and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

"The orchestrated versions of the songs are beautiful. It's a fun idea and it works. I want to listen to more music by the orchestra," he said afterward.

Introduced to music by his uncle, who plays electric guitar, Ning studied piano when he was 6, and has been singing in his school choir for six years. Although becoming a professional musician is not high on his agenda, he enjoys listening to different types of music, especially classical.

A classical music performance often conjures up images of older concertgoers, the wealthy, and even formal attire, but the younger generation in China is now embracing the genre.

The NCPA's slogan is "art changes life", which was the case with Beijing native Zhang Zhengchen when he was 13.

In 2010, when the NCPA staged its production of French composer Georges Bizet's operatic masterpiece Carmen, auditions were held in the Chinese capital to select child singers.

At the time, Zhang, a student at Beijing No 171 Middle School, joined the audition as a member of his school choir. Zhang, who started to play piano when he was 4, stood out from his peers and played a role in the opera, which was directed by Francesca Zambello from the United States.

In a rehearsal room at the NCPA, Zhang met with Chinese conductor Chen Zuohuang, and was impressed by the way in which he used the baton.

"I want to become a conductor," Zhang told Chen, the NCPA's founding music director.

Chen told him: "Training to become a conductor and directing an orchestra are very hard. You have to be prepared."

Undaunted, Zhang applied to the middle school affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music and now, age 21, is a senior at the institution with a major in conducting.

"It was a crazy idea. I've always been interested in music, but I never planned to become a professional musician," said Zhang, who will further his conducting studies at the conservatory after graduating in the summer with his bachelor's degree.

"It was not easy to get admitted, but it is certainly one of my most exciting and memorable experiences," Zhang said.

On Dec 22, Zhang took part in the public art programs at the NCPA and performed with pianist Sheng Yuan and Yuan Sha, who plays the guzheng, a Chinese type of zither.