Western Music in China

The final piece of my coverage of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's tour to China ran Sunday -- a much more general look at just why Western classical music has become so popular in China. Obviously, I don't answer the question; I am trying to bring up some possibilities and also simply to dialogue about what is a truly fascinating subject for all of us who love classical music. Thanks to the Carnegie Mellon School of Music for letting me accompany some of its faculty members (also PSOers) on some masterclasses in Shanghai (Bill Caballero, Mike Rusinek and Nancy Caballero, specifically).

In the center of photo are Bill Caballero and Xiao-Ming Han (in the blue shirt) and the students of the horn masterclass at Shanghai Conservatory that I wrote about.

If you want you can review the rest of my coverage of the PSO Asia 2009 tour here. For me it was a chance of a lifetime and a wonderful learning experience that has shrunk the world of music for me.