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June 25, 2001
- Continuing a 135-year-old tradition of educational exchange with China,
Phillips Academy sent 134 students and 42 adults on a musical tour of
China in June. The 17-day, three-city cultural exchange included music,
ping pong, martial arts, and the establishment of new educational exchange
programs with two Chinese high schools. In addition, the visit included
a meeting with Ministry of Education officials to share perspectives on
secondary education and the preparation of young men and women for leadership
in a globally connected world.
More than a year in planning, the tour is the brainchild
and organizational effort of William Thomas, director of performance
and instructor of music. Former President George Bush, a 1942 graduate
of Phillips Academy, offered his assistance by writing letters of introduction
to help arrange visits to some of China's most prestigious concert halls
and educational institutions. The Academy Cantata Choir and Chamber
Orchestra performed in such landmark musical institutions as the Shanghai
Grand Opera Theater, Beijing Concert Hall and St. John's Cathedral in
Hong Kong.
"The year 2001 opens the third century in which Chinese
students have engaged in educational and cultural exchange programs
with Phillips Academy," says Head of School Barbara Landis Chase. The
Chinese government sponsored the first exchange with Phillips Academy
in the 1870s, sending five Chinese students to study at the academy.
Today, comprehensive cross-cultural links bind Phillips Academy to China.
For the past 20 years, the academy has included Chinese language and
culture within its curriculum. Currently, international students comprise
10 percent of the student body, and the largest contingent of these
students is from China. While in China, Stephen Carter, dean of faculty,
signed agreements of partnership for student exchanges and administrative
visits with Ren Min High School in Beijing and Datong High School in
Shanghai.
"We are committed to nurturing a world community that
encourages people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to understand and
respect one another," says Chase. The Cantata Choir tour is an annual
tradition, organized and led by Thomas, who has taken students to Turkey,
Greece, Italy, Spain, England and major U.S. cities in past years.
While touring China, the students also performed for
a radio broadcast in Hong Kong and visited and made music with students
at Datong High School, Ren Min High School, Peking University High School
and Beijing Normal University High School. "This tour had far-reaching
cultural and collaborative appeal," says Thomas, "because we played
not only for the Chinese, but with them." For example, a performance
of Bach's "Double Violin Concerto" with the Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra
featured a Phillips Academy student and a Chinese student playing a
solo for each of the piece's three movements. In both Shanghai and Beijing,
the program will include a work by a Chinese composer.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of "ping pong diplomacy,"
named for President Richard Nixon's opening of trade and travel to China,
the students played ping pong in a demonstration match against Chinese
students. Christine Ng, who sang soprano with the Cantata Choir, was
captain of the Andover ping pong team.
The China concert tour was hosted by the Chinese People's
Association for Friendship in Foreign Countries, and Madame Li Xiaolin,
vice president. Additional support for the trip was provided by the
Committee of 100 Cultural Institute through Shirley Young, a 1951 graduate;
Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association; the UTC corporation;
and Dr. Yuan Han, chairman of the academy's Chinese department.
Contact:
Tana Sherman
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