The Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble perform at the Tianjin Grand Theatre on Friday night. Photo: Courtesy of Ni Min

The Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble, a mixed-instrument ensemble composed of distinguished resident faculty members from The Tianjin Juilliard School, kicked off its inaugural performance season with a concert at the Tianjin Grand Theatre on Friday night.

From October to May 2020, the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble will embark on a performance tour showcasing nine different programs over 15 concerts at the Tianjin Grand Theater, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, the Hangzhou Grand Theatre and the Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall. 

This month, the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble will also hold master classes and concerts in the island of Taiwan. 

Next year, the ensemble will perform and hold master classes and performances in South Korea, Singapore, New York and Paris.

As part of this inaugural season, the Tianjin Juilliard School and the Tianjin Grand Theatre will co-present the Tianjin Juilliard School Chamber Music Week from November 6 to 17 at the theater. 

In addition to three concerts by the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble, there will be master classes, a chamber music forum and a joint performance by students from the Central Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Music Conservatory, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and Seoul National University. Guest artists will include the Juilliard String Quartet. 

Alexander Brose, executive director and CEO of The Tianjin Juilliard School, said, "The formation of the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble is truly remarkable. We are looking forward to presenting the artistry of our world-class resident faculty through our newly formed Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble. It is exciting that our graduate students will have the opportunity to work and perform alongside our stellar group of resident faculty, recruited from seven different countries."

Resident faculty are soloists, orchestral musicians, chamber musicians, composers, artists and former members of award-winning chamber groups and top orchestras from North America, Europe and Asia.

The Tianjin Juilliard School will be the first performing arts institution in China to offer a US-accredited Master of Music degree.

Founded in 1905, the Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education.