Classic
The Neuburg Summer Academy has been held since 1978 and undoubtedly makes an immeasurable contribution to cross-cultural exchange, networked communication, and mutual understanding, which is particularly essential in today's age of globalization, as overcoming ethnocentrism is a prerequisite for understanding other cultures. It is all the more gratifying that the Summer Academy has attracted more and more participants from abroad in recent years, thus extending its reach beyond the region to the international level. Inspiring our participants to embrace global responsibility for their artistic practice seems to me to be a particularly important task in this regard. In a world that seems to be losing all empathy, it is all the more crucial that the arts do not merely unite regionally, but rather counteract this apocalyptic phenomenon through effective networking. The city of Neuburg, with its long-standing tradition of summer academy, sets an annual example for intercultural communication, where interdisciplinary integration across the various departments and courses is virtually unlimited. Here, anything is conceivable and everything imaginable is possible. There are no limits to the ideas. Cross-disciplinary communication and spontaneous action are desirable, not least because we want to give improvisation more space, and improvisation cannot pretend to be merely a musical phenomenon. In this spirit, I wish us all sufficient individuality and freedom at the 48th Summer Academy so that the "Neuburg Summer Academy" does not become overly academic.
Prof. Alexander Suleiman Artistic Director Classical Music
The course leader Yu Chuan is a master of the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed string instrument that is not only used to perform traditional Chinese music, but is now also used to play transcriptions of works by Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, and other composers.
His compositions and transcriptions of well-known works in various configurations, which are now part of the standard repertoire in Asian concert halls, attract particular attention.
In addition to his concert appearances as a soloist and chamber musician in Asia and the West, Yu Chuan teaches erhu, conducting, and composition at the University of Beijing and is the musical director of the Beijing Wujie Chamber Orchestra.
The premiere of his children's musical “If instruments could speak” took place in 2023.
