The Paris Opera International Music Competition 2020, which ended in September, saw Wang Yutong, a 2018 accordion student from the Modern Percussion faculty of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, win second prize in the Youth Group, with the first place remaining vacant. Zhang Xinyun, an accordion student who entered the school in 2017, also won second place in the Performer Group.

Both of the students are trained by Associate Professor Zhang Yan from the SHCM accordion major. In addition to accordion, the competition held from July 10 to September 10 also featured musical instruments and styles, including piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, saxophone, harp, voice and chamber music.

The competition videos submitted by the two players have been selected as the best works of the competition, and have been posted on the YouTube classical channel of the competition organizer. Next, the videos will be posted on the VANVES city government platform in France.

In 2018, the International Accordion Art Center of SHCM was established by Professor Xu Dawei, Associate Professor Zhang Yan and a team of 11 international top performers and educators from nine countries.

The members also include young performers nurtured at SHCM but who finished their further studies overseas and returned to China to promote the high-quality development of cultural undertakings, and facilitate the sharing of educational resources and academic exchanges among global music colleges and universities.