Met star brings Confucian ideal to recital

Jazzing up Beijing

Xiao Ying was living a dream, standing in front of a full-house at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

"I've imagined standing on this stage so many times. Last year's failure did not let me down. I did not give up. Instead, I kept composing. I love art and music," said Xiao, 26, when he won the National Center for the Performing Arts Young Composer Program on Dec 16.

That evening, 10 jury members listened to six final works played by the NCPA orchestra under the baton of conductor Zhang Yi. Xiao earned the highest score with The Cloud on the Wishful Side, a piece combining atonality, pan-tonality and tonality that also features pipa, a Chinese traditional plucked instrument.

As Xiao thanked the NCPA for giving young composers the opportunity to be heard, the jury head Chen Qigang stood at his side.

"As a composer myself I know how difficult it is to write every score," Chen says. "The result is not important now. They all did a great job and we like every piece. The point is their music can be performed and heard here."

Listen to the works of the winners here

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