Li Shuyou, an 80-year-old music teacher, has turned his home into a music school. Here, children and teenagers have gathered for years to take lessons and learn about the art of traditional Chinese music, free of charge.

Meet different people across China, who live and breathe traditional Chinese music, and find out how music inspires, heals, and connects generations in ways beyond words.

Huang Ye is an innovative Jazz musician and music director at the Lincoln Center Shanghai. It won't be surprising to hear segments in his music reflecting the clamor of horns beeping during rush hour or a tiger's mighty roar. The 26-year-old artist once composed 24 works within one single month, but it took him more than a decade to find all the motifs he needed to create them. Let's find out how Huang has been devoting himself to transcending cultural barriers and incorporating diverse cultures into his music.

Shaun Gibson is a British singer and songwriter who weaves his narratives into music. His music is so catchy that it often goes around in listeners' heads once they hear it. He represents the distinctiveness of the instruments from the East to make them accessible and appealing. In this episode, we're thrilled to get up-close with Shaun Gibson who has been immersing himself in the rich tapestry of Chinese music and culture to discover inspiration in every corner of the country.

Christophe Hisquin is a French singer and songwriter who has been devoting himself to making both Chinese and French songs. Better known as Dantes in music industry, the artist creates music that transcends cultural barriers. In this episode, we'll delve into his musical journey and explore how his career has been shaped within the Chinese music industry.

In this episode, we will explore "Phenomena," a Sheng concerto commissioned by China’s NCPA Orchestra. The program features European composer Bernd Richard Deutsch, Sheng virtuoso Wu Wei, and NCPA Orchestra’s Head of Artistic Planning, Tang Ning. They discuss the ancient Chinese mouth organ, the Sheng, and its unique integration into Western classical music.

Ancient instruments are symbolic cultural relics, and people can get a glimpse of the culture and traditions behind their unique sounds. In this episode, Zhang Xuguang, a zither and bowed instrument performer with the China Broadcasting Performing Arts Troupe, join us to explore the captivating story behind the revival of the soulful sound of a seven-stringed zither whose melody has resonated across a millennium.

​Embark on a captivating journey with Gesang Norbu, who has been pursuing his passion for the Tibetan fiddle despite tough challenges and discouraging voices from his family. When he finally brought his instrument into the limelight, he returned to his hometown with a resolute commitment to spread his love of the fiddle among the younger generations.

A recent concert titled "The Song of Xianghe", meaning a harmonic blend, is considered a fusion of Eastern and Western culture. In this episode, we will delve into the collaboration, and find out why Chinese flutist Zhang Weiliang believes his instrument is able to represent the Chinese spirit and people, and discover how Chinese music speaks to French harpist Celine Goudour.

In April of 2024, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, China, presented German composer Richard Wagner’s enduring and epic opera "The Flying Dutchman". The production received enormous acclaim from Chinese audiences for its spectacular stage design and masterful performances.

In this special episode of Music Talks, we will talk with conductor of the performance Marcus Bosch, bass-baritone Ólafur Sigurdarson, and Ms. Wei Lanfen, Director of the Production Department of the NCPA. Let’s dive into the world of Wagner's timeless masterpiece "The Flying Dutchman".