Forging friendship
Off stage, the young musicians were like any other digital natives. They discussed section assignments in group chats, laughed at cringe social moments, and debated the best French fries. Many formed friendships; some, romance. Several cadets received scholarships from music foundations, while others once again made music together in July during the Asian Youth Orchestra touring concerts.
Some of Zhang Jin's former classmates have joined famed orchestras elsewhere. Gabriel Polinsky, a 2020 alumnus, became the associate principal bass in the Philadelphia Orchestra. The American bassist once joked with Zhang Jin about the hours he spent preparing for the YMCG audition, but then went on to win the 2023 ARD Music Competition in Germany, a dream come true for music students. Tolkynuly Talgar, a YMCG cellist from Kazakhstan, now plays in the same orchestra as Zhang Jin.
Chen Jiayi, a violinist from Dongguan, Guangdong province, and concertmaster of the 2017 YMCG, started her tenure as concertmaster of the acclaimed Sinfonia Lahti in Finland in August. Alumnus Liu Ming is concertmaster of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, where Yu Long serves as its music director.
"I will definitely apply for YMCG in 2027. It's like a warm family where I have met many like-minded friends," says Karen Xue Yun En, the youngest musician in the previous edition. Her cello teacher, Calvin Wong, played alongside her in the cello section. Xue revealed her goal of working behind the scenes as a sound engineer. She might choose a university rather than a conservatory, inspired by her idol Yo-Yo Ma.
"For the musical community to thrive, we need not only people who learn instruments and become musicians, but also who go on to do other jobs, and have the love and knowledge for music," says Harding.
For the ongoing auditions, the maestro would prefer his job to be "even more difficult". "I'd love it if the word spread more and more, and we ended up with a pile of applications so big that we are terrified to go through it," he says.
And the word seems to have spread. Gregoire Girardeau, a French tuba player from the Geneva University of Music, auditioned for the program after hearing about it from YMCG alumnus, trombonist Victor Alvarez Alegria. The Spanish musician is now principal trombone of the renowned Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
After completing his first YMCG, Girardeau shared his excitement on Instagram, posting pictures and expressing gratitude. Before long, Harding commented "Bravo" on his account, adding an exclamation mark.
The author is a freelance writer for China Daily.
