I just returned from attending an exciting conference in Nanjing, China, where I was with a group of foreign experts invited by the CP Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in Asia. The purpose of the meetings was to learn about Nanjing, and to listen to the vision for a new university. Those of us in attendance were asked to consider participating in this exciting and unique project; the first private institution of its type on the Mainland.

I have been building my career in China over the past several years and have fallen for the country, its people and the culture, and when asked if I would consider coming on board as a faculty/administrator, I have accepted the offer. So I will be relocating to China in early September and, along with a colleague from NYC, will be a co- founder of a music and arts program that will be part of the the new Pujiang Institute. Together the two of us will be responsible for creating curricula and programs; coordinating with other faculty and departments, and working with architects from the US and China on the design of a new music and arts center.

Invited guests

The founders hope to revolutionize higher education in China by developing an educational model that combines the latest technologies with sound pedagogical methods that allow for an increase in innovation; competing with the best technology oriented institutions in the West; a university that will emphasize collaboration and idea sharing, all in an environment that promotes a connection between the technical and the humanistic through the inclusion of music and other arts as part of every students’ educational experience.

With funding from the parent corporation, the support China’s central government, as well as the governments of Jiangsu Province and the city of Nanjing, the university is intended to be the blueprint for future institutions in other Chinese cities. I will be working with faculty from a wide range of academic, research and business backgrounds. Some of them will be coming from international corporations, as well as from prominent research labs and arts institutions.

Faculty, guests, staff out for dinner

In addition to my work at the Pujiang Institute, I will continue to pursue my conducting career. In the fall I will be directing a new chamber orchestra in Shanghai, and in the spring I will conduct a chamber choir in Hong Kong. I also hope to be engaged in other cities in both the capacity of conductor, as well as continue my work at secondary and tertiary schools as both guest lecturer and as a clinician.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Since 2012, I have been building my network of contacts in New York City, Shanghai and Hong Kong. It has been a long, tough slog and, I am now looking forward to spending most of my time in one hemisphere, rather than divided between two. The plane trips are becoming routine and I have been spending too much valuable time at 35,000 ft.

At the morning session of the Nanjing conference

I hope that you will check in on my activities here and on social media, where I will be blogging, posting pictures of the progress of the university, as well as videos and recordings of performances when possible.

Zai Jian
Tom