Festival celebrates the diverse beating heart of music

The inaugural Poly (Changzhou) Percussion Arts Festival took place from Aug 9 to 15 in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, concluding with a ceremony and awards gala on the final day.

This festival brought together the essence of percussion from China and around the world for a weeklong celebration. It not only provided a platform for percussion learners to improve their skills but also injected vibrant artistic energy into the 1,000-year-old city of Changzhou through a fusion of Chinese and Western artistic practices.

Over seven days, the festival featured 15 public master classes and over 300 master classes by more than 20 experts from prestigious national conservatories.

During the festival, six concerts were held daily, beyond professional venues and in outdoor spaces, showcasing the diverse appeal of percussion. The opening concert, for example, featured six major ensembles, including percussion ensembles from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

The performance blended traditional Chinese and Western percussion, illustrating the ability to "connect the East and West, and inherit both the ancient and the modern".

The second concert, designed specifically for middle school students, combined traditional gong and drum music with modern performance techniques, breathing new life into ancient Chinese instruments.

The sixth and final concert featured a contemporary percussion piece which featured drums that mimicked the sounds of thunder and frogs in early spring. Additionally, a modern adaptation of Peking Opera skillfully combined Peking Opera gongs and the Western vibraphone.

The festival concluded with Drum Poetry, which was composed by the festival's artistic director, Li Zhenwei, and composer Tan Dun.