A city comes alive with the sound of music

Benefiting students

Following the passing of Eleonore, Alice Schoenfeld established a music foundation to support the launch of the string competition.

After Xue proposed to shift the competition to Harbin, the city where he grew up, Alice researched the area and found it to be an ideal choice.

Although Harbin only began to develop into a modern city at the turn of the 20th century, it boasts a continuous and rich connection with music. It hosted one of China's first symphony concerts in 1908 and established one of the country's first symphony orchestras that same year.

"This film is not only a documentary chronicling the artistic life of my mentor, professor Alice Schoenfeld, but also a heartfelt reflection on the development of Harbin's musical culture," Xue says.

Xue was born in 1959 into a music family in Raohe county, Heilongjiang province, and grew up in Harbin. In 1980, his father, violinist and composer Xue Chengqian, and his mother, dancer Zhang Juhua, founded a children's violin ensemble in Harbin, an organization dedicated to training young violinists and leading them to perform at major public and cultural events.

In 2024, the Harbin Schoenfeld Children's Arts Society was established on the foundation of that ensemble, in tribute to both Xue's parents and the Schoenfeld sisters.

Now, Xue serves as the president and artistic director of the Schoenfeld International String Competition, aiming to carry forward Alice Schoenfeld's vision of spreading love through music around the world.

"She believed that Harbin has many young talents who deserve more opportunities to be recognized. Meanwhile, the competition will bring more musical talents to the city, which will benefit students and the broader community," Xue says.

Every country has its own songs, art forms, and modes of expression, and musicians can learn from each tour and each competition. But two things are universal: the enthusiasm they have for music, and the pleasure they take in playing it. Music makes people more well-rounded citizens in the world, Alice Schoenfeld once said.