A different tune for the future of music

A new book explores how listening across cultural boundaries can help young artists find their place in the world, Chen Nan reports.

When musicians from different countries sit down to play chamber music together, they do more than follow a score. They listen, negotiate, disagree and find a way forward.

For Joseph W Polisi, president emeritus of The Juilliard School in New York and chairman of the board of Tianjin Juilliard School, this process offers lessons far beyond music. "Listening is the foundation of understanding," he says. "You seek to understand before seeking agreement."

This idea runs through Cultural Dialogues and the Art of Music, a new bilingual book edited by Polisi and published by People's Music Publishing House.

Launched in Beijing on Oct 19, the volume brings together insights from international music educators, performers and institutional leaders on the future of classical music, the challenges facing music education and the role of cultural exchange.