Prof. Yangsheng Xu presented Ye a letter of appointment at the ceremony

Prof. Yangsheng Xu presented calligraphy to Prof. Xiaogang Ye

On Thursday, April 29, 2021, Professor Xiaogang Ye, a prominent contemporary Chinese composer, was officially appointed as Founding Dean of the School of Music at the appointment ceremony held by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. The School of Music is also known as Shenzhen Conservatory of Music.

As one of Shenzhen's “Ten Cultural Facilities of the New Eras”, the School of Music is designed to be an international, innovative and world-class music institution.

Professor Yangsheng Xu, President of CUHK-Shenzhen, presented Prof. YE a letter of appointment at the ceremony. Prof. XU said that CUHK-Shenzhen is honored to build the city’s Music Conservatory.

Prof. Ye said at the ceremony that the preparatory work for the School of Music is ongoing. In 2021, the School will recruit the first batch of undergraduate students from Guangdong Province majoring in Music Performance. The major of Music Performance has 2 tracks namely Instrumental Music (Piano, Violin) and Vocal Music (Bel Canto). Only those who have participated in the Unified Examination of Music from Guangdong Province will be admitted. The number of the School’s full-time students is expected to reach 1,000 by 2030.

Courses from the School of Music will be conducted in both Chinese and English. Meanwhile, the School will provide other language courses, such as Italian, German and French. The permanent campus will be located in Longgang International University Town, with a 700-seat theatre, a 500-seat concert hall and a 200-seat rehearsal hall.

Professor Xiaogang YE is regarded highly as one of China’s leading composers, a music educator, a professor of composition, and a doctoral student mentor. He is currently a Member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of the Chinese Musicians’ Association, Vice Chairman of the International Music Council, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and International Chair in Composition of the Royal Northern College of Music, UK. Prof. YE is also one of the “Cultural Masters” in the "Four Batches of Talents” projects by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and was selected as an expert with the special allowance of the State Council.

Prof. YE has composed a large number of works in a variety of genres, including symphonic music, chamber music, dance drama and opera, as well as film and TV music. Prof. YE' s important symphonic works include Horizon, The Last Paradise, Song of the Earth, Twilight of the Himalayas, Scent of Green Mango, Mount E’mei, Lu Xun (Symphony No.5), The Heroes (Symphony No.7), The Backyard of the Village, Springs in the Forest, Yangzhuoyong Cuo, Macau Bride Suites and Yong Le. Prof. YE's piano concerto Starry Sky, written for Lang Lang, was viewed by an audience of around three billion people worldwide when it was performed as part of the opening ceremony concert of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.