I had a wonderful time yesterday afternoon giving a lecture at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, primarily to students of composition and conducting. Among the audience were also professors and visual artists, adding to the richness of the discussion.
The main theme of my lecture was conducting experimental music. I shared interview and concert footage that I filmed and produced at the Borealis Festival in Bergen, along with personal reflections on this vibrant event, which brought together all genres of music in the most unexpected corners of the city during a sunny week in mid-March.
The lecture was hosted by the Composition and Conducting Department — SCM’s largest talent hub, which has nurtured some of the most brilliant minds in music in China.
A lively Q&A followed. Questions flowed as soon as I opened the floor, and I handed out a few souvenirs from Bergen to three lucky participants. The audience was eager to explore the future of experimental music in Europe, its relationship with experimental art, and how to assess artistic value and performance merit given the often unpredictable nature of experimental music.
The lecture was delivered in Chinese and recorded on video.
