Talking in a common language

Some 500 musicians from 20 orchestras attend the first Eurochestries Festival held in China, including the Golden Sails Symphony Orchestra of Beijing No 8 Middle School, Trio Sonata from Mexico, Chinese and French conductors Liu Zheng and Revolte Claude, the CasaSawt Choir from Morocco, and the brass quintet of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra of Norway. [Photo by Verde Yang/For China Daily]

Young musicians from 13 countries recently gathered in Qingdao for the first Eurochestries Festival held in China. Chen Nan reports.

Suit and tie, violin, homework, Zhang Muxiang can still vividly recall repeating to himself the three most important things he had to take with him on a trip to Quebec during his summer vacation in 2012.

Then 11, he was nervous as it would be his first trip abroad without his parents. He was also excited because along with about 50 members of the Golden Sails Symphony Orchestra of Beijing No 8 Middle School, Zhang was going to perform for the first time at the Eurochestries Festival, one of the world's largest youth classical music exchange platforms.

"The summer vacation in Quebec was unforgettable," says Zhang, now 17. "I am still in contact with the conductor we worked with in 2012."

Back in 2012, he was the youngest member of the orchestra; now he is the oldest and the orchestra's principal violinist.

He recently performed with the Golden Sails Symphony Orchestra at the first Eurochestries Festival held in China.