Crowdfunding a Concert
If I had to say
which day in 2022 nudged the course of my life just a little in some direction — a nudge that will keep compounding over the years to come until it makes a huge difference — then Gaoshan Academy's "Starry Sky Concert," that collective flow under the Perseid meteor shower, has to be the most wonderful of them all.
It was guided in person by Gaoshan adviser Professor Zhou Haihong, former vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music, starting from "Why should music need to be understood?" and moving on to music's emotions, techniques, structure… The experience was beautiful beyond words. All I can say is: before and after that day, music has been a completely different presence in my life. The ripples of that emotion took a long time to settle. So, led by our Gaoshan classmates, we decided to act together and bring that beauty back — so that this emotion and what we gained don't stop with us.
One of the stars this time is of course Professor Zhou Haihong once again. He is not only a music aesthetician but also a scholar of music psychology and education, with deep research in philosophy, aesthetics, and personality and motivation psychology, and he is deputy director of the Ministry of Education's National Steering Committee for Aesthetic Education in Primary and Secondary Schools. We are also fortunate to have invited a powerful lineup of musicians:
Principal cellist of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra
— Wu Minzhe;
Erhu virtuoso and professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music — Wang Lili;
Pipa virtuoso — Xu He;
Yangqin virtuoso and professor in the Department of Chinese Music — Yu Haiying;
Prodigy pianist from the Middle School Attached to the Central Conservatory of Music — Du Peida;
Prodigy violinist from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music — Bao Shennuo;
Although one of them is only 14, mastery comes before age, so we call them all "maestro." And we've arranged a very~~ special venue 👇
The former Union Church (Xin Tian'an Church)
This Gothic Revival building, a protected historic building at No. 4 on the Bund, was designed by William Dowdall. It sits in the Bund Origin area, the starting point of the "exhibition of world architecture" and the origin of modern Shanghai.
When it was completed in 1886, it was the highest point on the south bank of Suzhou Creek, and it was the site of many important events in modern Chinese history.
In 1920, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell gave a lecture here. (to be verified)
In this century-old church, we will experience the wonder of music together. But believe me, this isn't just a concert — it's more like an education in aesthetics and an exercise in philosophical reflection.
If you've ever been troubled by "not understanding music," it can set your mind free;
"Music is the art of hearing; experiencing the beauty of pure sound is the most important value in appreciating the art of music. Just as fine art is the art of sight… fine food is the art of taste — no one asks what profound ideas and cultural depth lie in a plate of Dongpo pork knuckle."
If you're a seasoned music lover, it lets you join professional connoisseurs in teasing out the delicacy and subtlety of music, strand by strand;
"With Chinese folk instruments you can't just listen to the notes; you have to listen to the technique. With the guzheng, pay attention to the last third of each note."
If you have children, please, please, please bring them along — opening the door to enjoying music early in life is an immense happiness. (Primary school age and up is fine~)
"If a person's character is to approach completeness, they need not only the qualities to obtain the conditions for happiness, but also the qualities to experience the feeling of happiness."
"The critical period for cultivating a person's sensibility is childhood; aesthetic preferences, habits and standards all take shape in childhood. … People raised amid the beauty of art will have a good sensibility, and even if they meet all kinds of negative influences later, they can dissolve them through a refined cultural and artistic life. This is the great significance of arts education in social life."
AGAIN Time: April 1, 2023, 19:30–21:00
Venue: The former Union Church (also known as "Buzhi Space"), 103 South Suzhou Road, the Bund, Shanghai. The concert is confirmed, but preparations are still in full swing. As a non-profit project, for its sustainability and so that more friends can join in the fun, this will be a crowdfunded + co-created event. You can crowdfund and co-create by
— contributing money | effort | resources.
Crowdfunding & co-creation seats
123 seats.
Money
Based on estimates for the venue, instruments and other costs, each audience member pays 1,234 yuan (exactly the notes do re mi fa 😁). Sign-up option one: contact me. Sign-up option two: use the Kuaituantuan QR code link, pay and leave your name and phone number — ideally let me know too.
Effort 1) On-site photography and promo video editing
2) Video recording and live cloud sharing
To sign up, again, please contact me
Resources 1) On-site floral arrangements 2) Flowers and gifts for the performers on the day 3) A welcome lunch for the performers on April 1 4) Tea and refreshments during the intermission 5) Design and provision of keepsake gifts based on this concert
6) Design, production and provision of matching outfits for on-site volunteers
To sign up, yes, yet again, contact me 😄
All members of the organizing team pledge: if this event ends with a surplus, it will be used properly in a public-service spirit to do more good things, following three principles: "transparent process, transparent decisions, transparent finances."
In the future, we hope this kind of beauty keeps growing; that music inspires more people to appreciate the beauty of life; that the gift of musical awakening reaches more people, flowing on without end.
Finally, one more quote from Canetti:
"Music is the best healing, because music produces no words. Even when words are added to music, its own magic is strong enough to dissolve the danger of the words.
The more people there are in the world, the more the forms of life resemble machines, and the more important music becomes. We are about to enter an age in which only music can slip through the dense net of function; the most important task of future scholars will be to guard music, the last stable, independent refuge of freedom in this world.
Music is humanity's most living history; apart from it, everything else is already dead. People don't need to compose music, because it has always been there waiting for us; we only need to listen quietly. Everything else is superfluous."
— The Human Province: Canetti's Notes (1942–1985)
Appreciation & guided listening: Professor Zhou Haihong. Coordination: Professor Xie Lujun (Director of the Sino-German Music Center, Tongji University). Host: Professor Jiang Changjian. Initiators: Gaoshan Academy, Wang Yuhao, Saqima, Linzi, Ma Yi
Special thanks: to the leaders of the Hongkou District Government for their warm invitation and generous support; this concert may become the starting point for a wider series of music and aesthetics events, moving on to Hongkou District.