Global Harmony: Music from the Celestial Empire to St. Petersburg Fills Polytechnic University

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University expands the horizons of cooperation with China. Dialogue in the sphere of education and culture of the two countries became a concert in the White Hall, which was attended by Chinese and Russian artists.

On September 19, masterpieces of world opera and works that are the national pride of the two countries were performed at Polytechnic University. Ambassadors of Eastern traditions were baritone Xiyan Yu, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Music at Chongqing University, and pipa player, conductor of the Orchestra of Chinese National Instruments of Xi’an University of Railway Engineering Wang Shen. Russian culture was represented by Elena Zastavnaya, the leading soloist of the Zazerkalye Theater, and Evgeny Zhelinsky, one of the best balalaika players in Russia.

Among the audience were many Polytechnic students from China, who could not miss the program with traditional music of their country.

I’ve been living in Russia for five years, I haven’t been home for a very long time! I listen to Chinese folk songs and melodies now and I feel truly happy, shared Yang Ziming, a 3rd year student of IMMiT.

SPbPU ranks third among technical universities in Russia in terms of the number of foreign students — more than seven thousand students. And almost two and a half thousand are from China.

Polytechnic University has long-standing and close ties with China in education, science and innovation. But the stronger the cultural and humanitarian ties, the more we can realize good ideas. So that there is no room for aggression and intolerance, and only the ideas of peace and support are embodied in the relationship between countries, Boris Kondin, Head of the Directorate of Cultural Programs and Youth Creativity, is sure. This concert is a vivid example of people’s diplomacy, for which there are no borders.

Music has the power to unite countries and peoples, and the soloists of the concert in the White Hall are also linked by one vocal school. Elena Zastavnaya and Xiyan Yu studied at the St. Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in the class of Professor Olga Kondina, People’s Artist of Russia. The final song of the program, «Moscow Evenings», was dedicated to their mentor, and was performed by all the concert participants — from the Celestial Empire to St. Petersburg.