China Vocal Music Art Research Center was inaugurated in Shanghai Conservatory of Music on September 7. Officials of SHCM and Chinese Musicians Association, Shanghai Musicians Association, Shanghai Opera House and professors of SHCM attended the opening ceremony.

The research center is supported by He Luting China Advanced Research Institute of Music, the world’s first music research institute set up by a university. Liao Changyong, a world-renowned vocalist, has been named the first director of the center.

Liao said the research center is set to introduce a vocal music disciplinary system and aims to study and upgrade classical music in China. In light of the country’s cultural strategies, the center will tap into SHCM’s advantages and build itself into a world-class center featuring performance, creation, theories and historical research.

SHCM Party Secretary and President Lin Zaiyong said Shanghai has been featuring prominently in the vocal music history of China. SHCM is one of the earliest music institutes in the country. Numerous well-known Chinese composers and vocal artists found their roots in SHCM. He hoped that the research center will provide a sound foundation for vitalizing vocal music in China and contributing more to its creation, performance and talent nurturing.