Calligraphy and Cultural Discovery

One of the highlights of the event was learning to write the Chinese character “曼” — the first character of “Manchester.” Participants, guided by Chinese teachers, practiced writing the character with brush and ink, discovering its graceful structure and symbolic meaning of elegance and continuity. 

They also learned to write their own names in Chinese, while practicing simple self-introductions such as “我叫…” (“My name is…”). Soon, the Library’s Hall resounded with the voices of participants pronouncing their names in Mandarin with accents from all over the world. Their calligraphy works were displayed on a “Cultural Wall,” creating a striking visual symbol of cultural connection. 

In addition to calligraphy, the event inspired a lively exchange about Chinese culture. Visitors asked questions ranging from the differences between Mandarin and Cantonese to the characteristics of Chinese music and traditional instruments. Teachers from CMC responded enthusiastically, underlining the importance of cultural exchange and education in fostering mutual understanding.

A New Beginning

The activity was designed and coordinated by Sophia Kuai (Yi Kuai), Chinese Co-Director of CMC, and jointly delivered by visiting teacher Miya Jiang and newly arrived teacher Kai Yang, who has just taken up her post as CMC’s A-level Mandarin teacher. Their teamwork ensured that the event was both educational and highly engaging for the diverse audience. 

Kai Yang’s arrival marks an important step for CMC, strengthening its teaching team and capacity for Mandarin education in Manchester. Looking ahead, CMC will continue to build on the international platform of Chetham’s School of Music, bringing together music, language, and culture to expand its role across Manchester and the wider North of England. 

Voices from the Community

The event also received strong endorsement from local partners and community members.

Alessia Benedetti, Service Development Coordinator, Libraries, Galleries and Culture, commented:

“We are delighted to see the Chinese Music Classroom joining our events at Manchester Central Library. Activities like this introduce unique aspects of Chinese culture to our audiences and enrich our program of multicultural engagement. We especially look forward to future events with a musical focus, which will add a new dimension to our cultural offer.”

John, a retired teacher from Sale, said:

“Having taught for many years, I know how important cultural education can be. Today’s event gave me a real sense of the beauty of Chinese language and calligraphy. Experiences like this open young minds to different worlds.” 

A long-standing member of Manchester’s Chinese community, who has lived in the city for several decades, shared:

“This activity makes me feel close to home and proud to introduce our culture to new friends here in Manchester. I hope there will be many more events like this in the future.” 

Building Bridges

By combining traditional Chinese calligraphy with spoken Mandarin practice, the “Write Your Name · Speak Your Culture” event offered participants a unique opportunity to connect with Chinese culture in a hands-on and personal way. The success of this activity demonstrates once again the value of the Chinese Music Classroom in building bridges of cultural understanding between China and the UK. 

With the new academic year underway and new staff in place, CMC looks forward to further strengthening its collaboration with Manchester Central Library and expanding its cultural and educational outreach through both language and music.

Join us on Thursday 23 October 2025 for the Chetham’s Philharmonic Orchestra and Ensembles Concert to celebrate the reopening of Whiteley Hall, the new home of our Chinese Music Classroom.

Welcoming a wide range of people and sharing our passion for music is at the heart of what we do, and we’ve seen many wonderful events in our venues this term! Our family workshops with Stoller Story Sounds and Mini Music Adventures have been a blast, with new music, playful stories, and interactive fun. March’s Mini Music Adventures transported 128 young adventurers on a musical journey all the way to China – complete with a shadow-puppet performance! Audiences were captivated by storyteller Faz Shah narrating Naya and the Pearl of Life, a tale inspired by Chinese dragon mythology, complete with original live music by Chetham’s alumna Zi Lan Liao and Chetham’s students. The adventure continued with a special shadow-puppet show from our junior students animating the Chinese folktale of Journey to the West, created in collaboration with our partners at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. We had lots of hands-on fun, with our audience getting to make and use their very own shadow puppets!

This term we have been working hard to welcome new communities through our doors, offering behind-the-scenes tours of Chetham’s for the first time. We took part in the National Lottery Open Week in March, allowing National Lottery Players the free opportunity to explore the School, Library and Stoller Hall, listen to live music, and learn more about our unique arts organisation. In April we also met a fantastic group of students from Burnage Academy and enjoyed a full day of interesting workshops. Led by our professional Marketing, Tech and Creative Engagement staff, the students learned first-hand about different roles within an arts organisation, saw what goes on behind-the-scenes in our venues, listened to live music from our students and got creative! If you would like to take your students for a tour of Chetham’s please get in touch.

Our wonderful Make Some Noise project continued over the February and Easter breaks. We took part in lots of creative music-making with 52 young people from Salford supported by Manchester-based children’s charity Wood Street Mission. Over two exciting fun-filled days, they explored new instruments, wrote their own songs, experimented with Logic in our music tech suite, and formed their own choir for the day. The Make Some Noise choir performed brilliantly for internal staff and parents with an abundance of young members wanting to showcase their talent through solo opportunities.

We’ve continued to present concerts for audiences who may be new to classical music, our venues, or perhaps struggle with typical concert formats. Our Relaxed Lunchtime Concert series welcomed 170 audience members across three events into our friendly Atrium setting. These concerts also encourage our students to learn new skills, such as how relaxed concerts can help create a friendly atmosphere for listeners, and the importance of social interaction with audiences.

This term our KS2 online workshops allowed us to work virtually with 964 external pupils. Led by music teacher Sarah Atter and supported by Chetham’s students, we invited classrooms of children to come together and get involved in music-making and listening. They explored voice and song, percussion, strings, brass and woodwind, with a special opportunity to see and hear traditional Chinese instruments!

As well as inviting audiences into our own venues, we love taking our passion for music out into the world! With the support of the ABO Trust’s Sirens Fund, we worked with 60 Year 5 pupils over 6 weeks at Essa Primary Academy in Bolton. The Sirens Project raised awareness of music by female orchestral composers, and helped children develop creative writing, composition and performance skills. After listening to and learning about The Land by Elizabeth Maconchy, the Essa students created new music inspired by the women in their life, which they performed beautifully for Years 3, 4 and 6, plus staff and parents. We rounded off the Sirens Project with an inspiring performance from Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra, led by our Artistic Director Tom Redmond. The orchestra captured the attention of 550 Essa Primary and Secondary Academy students including the Year 5 group, bringing everyone together to celebrate the work of female composers.

After a dynamic Spring term, we are flying into the Summer with plenty more opportunities for fun and connection through music! Here’s what to look forward to:

Relaxed Lunchtime Concert – 11 June
Mini Music Adventures – in Scotland! – 28 June
Stoller Story Sounds at Windermere Jetty Museum – 3 August
Stoller Story Sounds at Grizedale Visitor Centre – 5 August

We also can’t wait for the return of Make Some Noise across the May half-term and the Summer Holidays, where we’ll get stuck in with percussion and drumming. And as a Creative Engagement first, we are incredibly excited to be taking our family workshop Stoller Story Sounds up to the Lake District to run as part of the Lake District Music’s Summer Festival programme!

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported our Spring events, and we can’t wait to see you again this Summer!

From Creative Engagement at Chetham’s School of Music and Stoller Hall.

As a charity, making music fun, affordable, and accessible to the people of Manchester and beyond is at the heart of what we do. However, keeping our projects affordable comes at a cost. Therefore, if you feel able to, we would be very grateful for any donations, no matter how small, which can support our mission to share music with everyone. Find out more here.

 To find out more about Creative Engagement email us at joinin@chetham’s.com or visit chethamsschoolofmusic.com/join-in

In January, we were delighted to welcome Rachel Qin, a Chinese student from the University of Manchester, to perform the pipa during our KS2 online workshops. Designed for children aged 7–11, these interactive sessions introduce young learners to a wide range of musical instruments, styles and ideas from around the world. Rachel returned to perform again in our Relaxed Lunchtime Concert in February, held as part of our Chinese New Year celebrations. The concert featured a Q&A with the performer and gave audience members the chance to try out a variety of traditional Chinese instruments — generously gifted to Chetham’s by the Central Conservatory of Music.

Storyteller Faz Shah holding a precious dragon pearl

March brought further highlights, as Chetham’s students collaborated with Zi Lan Liao from Pagoda Arts to create a new Mini Music Adventure, part of our Creative Engagement families programme. Aimed at children aged 5–7, each adventure offers a musical journey through storytelling and culture. In this edition, staged in the Carole Nash Hall, our students performed on both Chinese and Western musical instruments as Faz Shah narrated Naya and the Pearl of Life, a tale inspired by Chinese dragon mythology.

The adventure extended throughout the building, as younger students brought Chinese folk stories to life with a shadow puppet performance of Journey to the West in the Oglesby Atrium. Families enjoyed hands-on activities, including the chance to cut out and decorate their own puppets as keepsakes. This imaginative event was conceived and conducted by Mimi Jiang from CCOM, and left a lasting impression on both performers and audience alike.

Mimi Jiang and Lower School students performing Journey to the West

Reflecting on the partnership, Vicki Ciaputa, Creative Engagement Manager at Chetham’s, shared:

“The collaboration with the Central Conservatory of Music gives Chetham’s the opportunity to share the beauty of traditional Chinese music with children, young musicians and communities in Greater Manchester who would otherwise not experience it.

We are grateful to CCOM for the traditional instruments that have been gifted to Chetham’s to continue our students’ passion for Chinese music, and hope to share them with schoolchildren across Greater Manchester in the future.

We look forward to continuing our work with CCOM on music education projects in the UK, sharing our best practice and promoting the joy of music, wherever it comes from in the world.”

 

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Sophia Kuai, Director of the Chinese Music Classroom at Chetham’s, added:

“We are proud to collaborate with Chetham’s to share the beauty of traditional Chinese music with young musicians, and are deeply encouraged to find it being embraced by local communities across Greater Manchester. The response affirms our shared belief in the power of music to foster intercultural understanding and connection.

By sharing diverse and multilayered forms of Chinese musical expression, we hope to bring the richness of our cultural heritage to broader audiences and educational settings in the UK. Through these shared experiences, we aim not only to inspire musical growth, but to build lasting bridges between cultures and generations.”

Together, Chetham’s and the Central Conservatory of Music are building bridges between cultures — through education, creativity, and above all, music.

 

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Chetham’s has been welcoming full-time Chinese students for over 20 years. We are a truly international community, with around 10% of our students and staff joining us from overseas, and over 40 languages spoken across the school. Staff even have the opportunity to learn Mandarin through weekly lunchtime lessons.

Young Chinese musicians wanting to study at Chetham’s have always had to audition online or make the tiring and costly trip to Manchester, sometimes alone. That is until now.

In December, Joint Principal Tom Redmond travelled 6,000 miles across the world to visit three Chinese cities: Beijing, where he was wowed by the dynamism of the country’s immense capital city; Xi’an, where he learnt about the history of the Silk Road; and Shenzhen, where the views from atop the world’s fifth-tallest tower took his breath away. At each location, he held in-person auditions for around 10 aspiring musicians. A first for Chetham’s, this meant we could hear their talents at their best while also meeting their families and answering their questions.

Mr Redmond was impressed by the singers, pianists and string players he auditioned: “They all played really well. I was surprised by the age range, with several being quite young. I heard some very intelligent music-making.” The prospective students and their families were pleased to know that Manchester already has a vibrant Chinese community, as does Chetham’s itself.

They also connected with our philosophy at Chetham’s of providing a holistic education within a nurturing environment. “Everyone we met liked the idea that, while music is at our core, it’s not all we do,” says Mr Redmond. “Students at Chetham’s have all sorts of opportunities beyond music, and by the time they graduate, they know they have options and choices: whether to go to a conservatoire, a university or somewhere else; whether to continue studying music or pursue something else.”

Since returning from China, Mr Redmond has made offers to several of the young musicians who auditioned. We look forward to welcoming them to Chetham’s soon! We wish our students and the wider community a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year – 新年快乐!

Interested in studying at Chetham’s? Read our Mandarin-language prospectus and see more information for international applicants.

The new facility – which launches this September at Chetham’s School of Music – will host a series of cross-continental concerts, teaching seminars and musical masterclasses for students.

Chetham’s in Manchester – home to more than 300 of the world’s most exciting young musicians, aged 8-18 – is the UK’s leading music school and the only one in the North of England.

Percussion student Fang Zhang from Henan province in China received bursary funding to  study at Chetham’s School of Music. He went on to win the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition in 2021.

Chetham’s mission is to educate and nurture the brightest young musicians irrespective of background or the ability to pay.

The Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing is China’s leading music school and is home to more than 3,000 national and international students. Its purpose is to share Chinese culture and Chinese music with the world and absorb the excellent music culture of other countries and ethnic groups.

Now, the two world-leading institutions are uniting as part of a unique cultural exchange, designed to deepen understanding and appreciation of the UK and China’s rich musical heritage and advance music teaching standards, whilst also creating opportunities for students to experience new cultures and performance opportunities.

Every year, Chetham’s welcomes students from around the world with many supported through the school’s bursary scheme. The school is a charity – with a mission to nurture young musicians regardless of background or financial situation. More than 90% of students are supported by bursaries, funded by the Government’s Music & Dance Scheme and private donors.

Chetham’s are hoping to create more opportunities for international students by launching a new bursary scheme, helping to ensure entry to the school is based on musical potential, not on the ability to pay and to support diversity within the music industry.

Chetham’s student Fang Zhang, who travelled from Henan province in China to study at Chetham’s in 2018, was one of many international students supported by the school’s bursary funding. In May 2021, he captured the hearts of audiences across the UK when was the winner of the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition.

Tom Redmond, Artistic Director at Chetham’s School of Music, said:

“Within the concert halls and rehearsal rooms of Chetham’s School of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music you’ll find some of the world’s most remarkable young performers at work. We’re very proud to break down some of those walls with this new initiative, to be able to open up new cross-continental performance opportunities for students, to help them exchange musical ideas internationally and to help our teachers learn from each other.

“Our much-loved student Fang Zhang is a shining example of what can be achieved when we create opportunities for creative talent to cross borders, experience new cultures and teaching methods.”

Professor Yu Feng, President at the Central Conservatory of Music, said:

“We can’t wait to see our own brilliant performers working side by side with the best young musicians in the UK. China and the UK have a long, rich history of cultural exchange. This is a major new step towards continuing that tradition.”

Research Fellow Zhao Min, Chairman of the University Council of Central Conservatory of Music and Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Chinese Music Classroom, said:

“The establishment of Chinese Music Classroom is a practical result of Sino-British music education and cultural exchange, and is also a new platform for young people to learn more about the world.”

Zheng Xiyuan, Consul General of The People’s Republic of China in Manchester said:

“We are delighted to be supporting this innovative project which will encourage cultural exchange and learning between Manchester and China. Chetham’s School of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music are both world-class institutions and we are excited to see what comes from this collaboration.”

Rhys Whalley, Executive Director of the Manchester-China Forum said:

“This partnership is a brilliant illustration of the strong ties that exist between Manchester and China and the role that cities play in bringing the best and brightest of tomorrow’s generation together. International collaboration across culture and education has never taken on greater significance and I’m delighted to see the UK’s best music school playing a leadership role in this space.”

The partnership will be officially unveiled at a ceremony and concert in The Stoller Hall at Chetham’s on 21 September 2021, featuring live performances by students at Chetham’s School of Music and remote performances from students Central Conservatory of Music broadcast into the venue from China.

The event will see the launch of the new international student bursary appeal. In October, the partnership will commence with the first in a major new series of Chinese and British online musical masterclasses for students, delivered by world-leading music tutors from both institutions.

In November, an online concert – co-hosted by Central Conservatory of Music and Chetham’s – will showcase quartet performances from musicians at both institutions.

An online academic seminar in December will then share teaching ideas and facilitate discussion between some of the world’s leading music teaching experts.