The Cultural Affairs Division of the U.S. Department of State awarded the College of Music a federal grant of about $30,000 to establish a chamber music program at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.
The UNT representatives, who arrived in China on March 9 and returned March 21, consisted of four UNT faculty members, Gene Cho, Susan Dubois, Nikola Ruzevic and Terri Sundberg, and six graduate students who specialized in a single instrument, Reuben Allred, a piano player, Ross Gasworth, a cello player, Szemoke Jobbagy, a violin player, Michelle Paczut, a viola player, Seijin Park, a violin player, and Kellie Quijano, a clarinet player.
"The dean at [South China University of Technology] felt that the school didn't have a strong chamber music presence," Gasworth said. "The chamber music program at UNT is really great, and the students and faculty have much experience."
The grant contributed toward travel and living expenses for the trip and a chamber music library for the South China University of Technology.
The purpose of the two-week stay in Beijing and Guangzhou was to initiate a chamber music program.
Chamber music is played by a small group of musicians without a conductor.
Terri Sundberg of the music faculty said the music program at the Chinese university - as well music programs in general - need chamber music because it encourages collaboration, independent thinking and leadership in a different way than large ensemble programs would.
"In Guangzhou, music is very hard to acquire," Sundberg said. "We have much easier access to chamber music in the United States, so we brought two large crates of music."
The $5,000 worth of music will be used to provide the university with a comprehensive library of string and woodwind compositions.
Gasworth said they performed concerts, coached students on chamber music and helped individual instrumentalists.
The experience was very rewarding, he said.
"I chose to go on the trip because it was a chance to go play, work with and learn from people who I wouldn't normally have the chance to ever meet because we were immersed in another culture," Gasworth said. "It was a great chance to collaborate with UNT students and faculty as well."
The concerts showcased the UNT faculty, UNT students, and Chinese university faculty and students, as well as combinations of the four.
"[The UNT] students were like superstars in that environment. The SCUT students were in awe of their ability, and asked the students and faculty for autographs," Sundberg said.
Gasworth said that the hospitality of the Chinese students was the most meaningful part of the trip to the UNT faculty and students.
"I feel like that doesn't happen very often here," he said. "We got to know the [Chinese students] really well and socialize, even outside of the work. We all share the common bond of being musicians. We learned a lot from them, and hopefully they learned a lot from us."
The UNT representatives, who arrived in China on March 9 and returned March 21, consisted of four UNT faculty members, Gene Cho, Susan Dubois, Nikola Ruzevic and Terri Sundberg, and six graduate students who specialized in a single instrument, Reuben Allred, a piano player, Ross Gasworth, a cello player, Szemoke Jobbagy, a violin player, Michelle Paczut, a viola player, Seijin Park, a violin player, and Kellie Quijano, a clarinet player.
"The dean at [South China University of Technology] felt that the school didn't have a strong chamber music presence," Gasworth said. "The chamber music program at UNT is really great, and the students and faculty have much experience."
The grant contributed toward travel and living expenses for the trip and a chamber music library for the South China University of Technology.
The purpose of the two-week stay in Beijing and Guangzhou was to initiate a chamber music program.
Chamber music is played by a small group of musicians without a conductor.
Terri Sundberg of the music faculty said the music program at the Chinese university - as well music programs in general - need chamber music because it encourages collaboration, independent thinking and leadership in a different way than large ensemble programs would.
"In Guangzhou, music is very hard to acquire," Sundberg said. "We have much easier access to chamber music in the United States, so we brought two large crates of music."
The $5,000 worth of music will be used to provide the university with a comprehensive library of string and woodwind compositions.
Gasworth said they performed concerts, coached students on chamber music and helped individual instrumentalists.
The experience was very rewarding, he said.
"I chose to go on the trip because it was a chance to go play, work with and learn from people who I wouldn't normally have the chance to ever meet because we were immersed in another culture," Gasworth said. "It was a great chance to collaborate with UNT students and faculty as well."
The concerts showcased the UNT faculty, UNT students, and Chinese university faculty and students, as well as combinations of the four.
"[The UNT] students were like superstars in that environment. The SCUT students were in awe of their ability, and asked the students and faculty for autographs," Sundberg said.
Gasworth said that the hospitality of the Chinese students was the most meaningful part of the trip to the UNT faculty and students.
"I feel like that doesn't happen very often here," he said. "We got to know the [Chinese students] really well and socialize, even outside of the work. We all share the common bond of being musicians. We learned a lot from them, and hopefully they learned a lot from us."
