The Tianjin Juilliard School [Photo/tianjinjuilliard.edu.cn]

The Juilliard School, with a rich history of more than 115 years, has always been committed to providing the highest level of education for young performing artists from around the world. 

As the first and only branch campus of the Juilliard School globally, the Tianjin Juilliard School aims to replicate such excellence in Tianjin. Its mission is to educate new generations of musicians who can bring the educational values and experiences they will acquire to the artistic life of China, East Asia and the world.

The Tianjin Juilliard School offers a multi-faceted learning environment. Its new campus building in the Binhai New Area is an embodiment of Juilliard's excellence, providing students with world-class teaching and learning facilities. 

The Tianjin Juilliard School now has both the Pre-College program, offering a comprehensive music program for students ages 8-18, and the Graduate Studies program, focusing on collaborative musicianship and providing extensive performance opportunities. 

At present, there are 24 Chinese students among the school's 39 graduates. It is exciting that more Chinese students who have studied abroad are now coming back to China to get their master's degrees.

The 2nd Annual Tianjin Chamber Music Festival’s Concert. [Photo/tianjinjuilliard.edu.cn]

"Obviously, we would like to expand the graduate class, but quality is the most important thing," says Alexander Brose, CEO of the Tianjin Juilliard School. "We always hope to bring exceptional students to this campus, and when they complete their studies here, they will do exceptional things throughout the world."

As for developing the community and public education, the Tianjin Juilliard School hopes to provide high-quality music education for all ages. It now also has a brand-new program called Music Development Program, primarily for young violinists, pianists and singers who want to receive high-level instruction but whose level has not yet met the Pre-College standard. 

The community program is the cornerstone of the Juilliard New York education. Thus, the school in Tianjin would like to do more community outreach, bringing local school children in to see performances and sending Juilliard students to teach and perform at local schools.

"The key to our success is informing people about the type of education that they will receive here and how high the level is," Brose says. "Some of the students even come from faraway Xining every week on Saturday to get instruction, and these students and their families are our best ambassadors."

The 2nd Annual Tianjin Chamber Music Festival's Opening Concert. [Photo/tianjinjuilliard.edu.cn]

The school also releases some very high-quality recordings of excellent performances on its website and social media platforms so that more people can see how great its students are. But at the heart of Juilliard's reputation for excellence is a faculty of distinguished artist-teachers, giving students opportunities to take master classes and even work with visiting faculty from Juilliard in New York.

Amid the pandemic, the Tianjin Juilliard School divides its schedule into three blocks so that the teaching structure can be carried forward in an orderly way. With the support of Tianjin's government, the Tianjin Juilliard School is the only international school in China that has been permitted to bring its international students back this year.

"We form a true artistic community that doesn't see borders or geopolitical conflicts. We just see music," says Brose.

In the future, the Tianjin Juilliard School will continue to serve as a cultural hub in Binhai New Area and a cultural bridge between China and the United States.