Participants discuss different instruments during a tutorial session at the workshop. [Photo/WeChat account: zjcm_cn]

The Third Silk Road's Global Musician Workshop opened at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music on July 26, bringing together musicians from all over the world and across China to explore diverse musical traditions, exchange ideas and seek inspiration.

The one-week workshop features a variety of activities, including ensemble sessions led by tutors, music workshops, evening improvisation concerts, and final performances showcasing the participants' collaborative creations.

The workshop has attracted an impressive lineup of mentors, including Wu Man, distinguished professor at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, world-renowned pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) performer and Grammy Award winner; Andrea Piccioni, a master of frame drums and Italian tamburello; and Francesco Turrisi, a multi-instrumentalist known as a "musical alchemist".

The ensemble sessions are the most experimental part of the workshop. Both the group arrangements and instrument combinations challenge traditional boundaries, bringing together instruments from a variety of cultures. The delicate sound of the pipa engaged in dialogue with the piano's rich tonal range, while the ethereal melodies of the guqin (a seven-stringed Chinese zither) intertwined with the expressive sound of the violin. Each performer set aside their habits, listening and responding to others through creative musical exploration.

Wu noted that several guqin players are taking an active part in this year's workshop. As inheritors of China's most representative solo instrument tradition, these young performers are eager to communicate their voices with the world.

Three free public concerts will be held during the workshop, offering Hangzhou residents the opportunity to experience the diversity and creativity of global music firsthand.

A participant plays the guqin during a class session. [Photo/WeChat account: zjcm_cn]