Dear Arts Lovers,
Last month, we had the immense pleasure of organizing and running a 3-day cultural exchange event for 145 students, the highlight of which was a joint concert performance at Beethoven-Saal Liederhalle in Stuttgart.
For many educators, finding time for a student music exchange on top of the rigorous expectations of the school curricula is often the tipping point. It’s the end of the school year, and the music teachers would have just finished their 10th (or more) concert for the year… in addition to their tests, preps, grading, organizing of concerts, and beyond. But often they do – find the time, that is.
It takes teams and it takes time to pull off exchanges like this one. But the experience will last a lifetime for these students, their teachers, and their schools. The concert at Liederhalle went far beyond a cultural exchange. For all but one of the conductors, it was their first time to conduct in this renowned hall. For the students, it was the “wow” factor that the grandiosity of the hall afforded them. For the audience, it was witnessing 145 students together, mixing instruments across cultures. This concert was the culmination of the passionate belief that through these efforts something extraordinary would happen. And it did.
What we hope for these students, the teachers, the audience and all those involved in the ecosystem of this youth exchange is that barriers and stereotypes can be broken. When we find our points of connection – our commonalities, our shared human experiences – we feel better. We feel uplifted. We feel… hopeful. It’s worth the effort.
And if you need help organizing a youth arts exchange to take the pressure off, let us know.
Christine Matovich
Founder, CommonTime
On the evening of July 15th, 90 students from TWGHs Li Ka Shing College and their teachers arrived in Germany, having traveled all the way from Hong Kong. They were treated to an outdoor dinner of traditional German foods at a local Biergarten in Stuttgart, and then were off to their hotel to rest up for the big event the next day.
The morning of July 16th, the LKSC students came to Albert Einstein Gymnasium, a music school in Boeblingen, and met its students for the first time. By 11am, the students from both schools gathered in AEG’s auditorium and began rehearsing the program that they would jointly perform to an audience of hundreds later that same day.
After a quick lunch of pizza and fresh fruit, the LKSC students launched into string, percussion, and woodwind/brass masterclasses with professional musicians from the Orchester der Kulturen, the World Symphony based in Stuttgart and founded by Adrian Werum.
By 5pm, all 140 students from LKSC and AEG left for Liederhalle, a distinguished concert hall in the heart of Stuttgart, ready to rehearse once more in preparation for the approaching performance. The students broke for dinner, and then at 7pm the doors to the concert hall opened to the public.
Together, the students performed a combined repertoire of western classical and traditional Chinese music, including Chinese instruments like the sheng and paigu. The program featured the world premiere of a new arrangement of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Summer by Adrian Werum, who also conducted the piece. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience applauded the students in not one, but two, standing ovations.
The following day, the LKSC students came to the Waldorf School in Esslingen to perform a showcase of traditional Chinese music. The Waldorf students danced and clapped along, and thanked the LKSC students with a standing ovation.
We at CommonTime are so proud of all the students from LKSC and AEG, and we extend our thanks to ACPAF (Austrian-Chinese Profound Arts Festival) for this opportunity to bring these students together in Stuttgart, and to Adrian Werum and the Orchester der Kulturen!
Would your school like to have a cultural exchange event like this one? Reach out to us at info@commontime.online!