SHCM officials with Liu Yan in the center pose with visitors from Birmingham Conservatoire led by Lamberto Coccioli (third from left) in November 2016.

Liu Yan, deputy Party secretary of the SHCM, received a delegation from Birmingham Conservatoire in England, led by Associate Principal Lamberto Coccioli, on November 22, 2016. They talked about cooperation between the two conservatories.

Liu said Birmingham Conservatoire has a long history and is famous for its education in chamber music, piano, composition and musicology. She recalled Coccioli’s visit in 2015 when he discussed electronic music production with the SHCM professors and students in the Department of Music Engineering.

Liu said Coccioli also talked about establishing academic exchange and cooperation programs with the SHCM officials on that visit.

She hoped the two conservatories would cooperate more in 2017 when the SHCM celebrates its 90th anniversary of founding and their plan to establish a joint institute would materialize, enabling their students to take exchange programs and their professors to teach in each other’s school as guest lecturers. Their students and teachers will visit each other city’s music festival.

Liu said the SHCM Department of Music Composition will invite Birmingham Conservatoire students majoring in composition to join a multimedia music project in China.

All issues talked above should be written down as cooperation agreements with details for implementation.

Coccioli said he agreed with Liu’s suggestion. Birmingham Conservatoire is full of expectations for its cooperation with the SHCM.

He said his school is building a new campus and will be relocated in September 2017.

They will invite SHCM officials, professors and students to visit their new campus and take part in their music festival in Birmingham.

Coccioli said Birmingham Conservatoire has a Debussy music research center. It will host a series of activities in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French composer’s death. He hoped the SHCM and BC can cooperate in these activities.

He also hoped the two schools can cooperate in some fields, such as chamber piano, and carry out cooperation according to signed agreements as early as possible to cement a solid foundation for long-term cooperation.

Ye Guohui, dean of the SHCM Composition Department, Chen Qiangbin, dean of the Music Engineering Department, Jiang Chen, deputy dean of the Piano Department, and Chen Xiaoyi, director of international exchanges, joined the meeting.