On September 19, USCET hosted a webinar discussion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic journey to China in September 1973, which used the universal language of music to bridge a great divide and begin cultural exchanges between the two nations. This event served as a powerful reminder that, even in times of political dissonance, music has the unique ability to transcend boundaries and forge human connections, leaving a lasting legacy of goodwill and cooperation.
The discussion showcased four speakers: Jennifer Lin, award-winning journalist and director of the documentary Beethoven in Beijing, Ryan Fleur, executive director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Jindong Cai, professor of music and arts at Bard, and Sheila Melvin, China analyst and author. (See detailed bios below). Moderator Madelyn Ross, president of USCET, began the evening by announcing the appearance of an unannounced special guest. USCET Executive Chair Julia Chang Bloch then introduced Ambassador Nicholas Platt who, as a young diplomat in Beijing in 1973, played a critical role in arranging the Philadelphia Orchestra’s visit and making it a success. Ambassador Platt gave his personal recollection, noting that the Philadelphia Orchestra’s visit to China was one of his proudest accomplishments of his long and distinguished diplomatic career.
The discussion that followed included a lively tour of classical music development in China, from Matteo Ricci’s gift of a clavichord to the Emperor of China in 1601 to the development of state-of-the-art orchestras and concert halls in China today. Jennifer Lin opened with her own personal connection to the 1973 concerts and her motives for making the documentary. She described the enduring impact of musical diplomacy and of this oft-overlooked chapter in the history of U.S.-China relations. Ryan Fleur spoke next, offering a direct window into the Philadelphia Orchestra’s ongoing relationship with China, an enduring partnership that has enabled countless memorable musical exchanges over the years. Conductor and Professor Jindong Cai and China expert Sheila Melvin broadened the discussion by looking at both the history of Western music in China and the rich currents of musical collaboration between the United State and China today. Professor Cai, inspired by President Nixon’s visit and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s performances in China, is an example of musical diplomacy in action through his contributions to classical musical development and cross-cultural exchanges, including establishment of the US-China Music Institute at the Bard Conservatory.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1973 journey to China impacted the musical landscapes of both the United States and China, and remains an iconic example of the power of music diplomacy. Watch the full discussion by clicking on the link above!
Panelist
Jennifer Lin is an award-winning journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker. She co-directed and produced the feature length documentary Beethoven in Beijing, which premiered in 2021. For 31 years, she was a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer, posted to China, Wall Street, and Washington, D.C. Ms. Lin has also written a history of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1973 tour called Beethoven in Beijing: Stories from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Historic Journey to China, published by Temple University Press in 2022. She is the author of Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family and co-author of Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running. Ms. Lin is a graduate of Duquesne University.
Panelist
Ryan Fleur is executive director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., the largest performing arts organization in Pennsylvania. In addition to operating the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra, the organization reaches tens of thousands of schoolchildren each year and is the largest presenter of Broadway in the U.S. outside of New York City. Mr. Fleur has built the Philadelphia Orchestra’s robust program of international residencies, including numerous partnerships with the people of China. Previously, Mr. Fleur was president and CEO of the Memphis Symphony, and worked with such organizations as Boston Ballet and the New York Philharmonic. He received his B.A. from Boston University in economics and business.
Panelist
Jindong Cai is professor of music and arts at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. He is also director and cofounder of the US-China Music Institute at the Bard Conservatory and associate conductor of The Orchestra Now. Over a 30-year career in the United States, Cai has been an active conductor, scholar of Western classical music in China, and leading advocate of music from across Asia. He began his conducting career at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and has also maintained strong ties to his homeland, conducting top orchestras across China. He was previously a faculty member at Stanford University, serving as director of orchestral studies and conducting the Stanford Symphony Orchestra for 11 years. Cai came to the United States for graduate studies at the New England Conservatory and the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. He has coauthored several books and articles on classical music in China with his wife, Sheila Melvin (see below).
Panelist
Sheila Melvin is a China analyst, consultant, and author focusing on both culture and business. She and her husband, the conductor Jindong Cai, co-wrote Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese; Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic; and The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra: Music Connecting Worlds. She is also the author of The Little Red Book of China Business. Melvin’s writing on the arts across Asia has been published widely, including in The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wilson Quarterly, and other publications. Melvin sits on the board of the Asia Society, Northern California. She received a B.A. from from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (M.A.) and studied at Fudan University in Shanghai.
Panelist
Madelyn Ross became president of USCET in 2022. Before joining USCET she was associate director of China Studies and executive director of SAIS China at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, which included the Hopkins Nanjing Center partnership. She also served as director of China Initiatives at George Mason University and began her career at the US-China Business Council, where she was editor of The China Business Review and executive director of The China Business Forum. She has a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Columbia University and did graduate work at Fudan University in Shanghai in 1979-1980, where she was one of the first American students to study in China following normalization of relations.