Jindong Cai (Professor of Music and Arts at Bard College); Sheila Melvin (Writer, Author and Consultant)

This talk will explore how Beethoven became an iconic figure in the People’s Republic of China and consider the role that his music, and classical music in general, has played in China’s internal politics and diplomatic relationships. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s history, and example, as a bridge builder between the US and China will receive particular focus. A conductor, author, and educator with a distinguished career, Jindong Cai is the director of the US-China Music Institute, co-director of the Chinese Music Development Initiative, and professor of music and arts at Bard College. Sheila Melvin is the co-author, with her husband, Jindong Cai, of "Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese," which was short-listed for the Saroyan Prize in 2005; and "Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic" (Penguin, 2016), which was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered;”