BNP Paribas China introduced the first ‘Rising Star' Piano Festival today in Beijing. The festival is initiated and sponsored by BNP Paribas China and the BNP Paribas Foundation. As an important cultural event for BNP Paribas in China, the Festival is designed to discover the rising stars of China's most talented crop of young pianists and provide them with a platform on which to showcase their abilities as the ‘rising stars' of the piano world.
The BNP Paribas ‘Rising Star' Piano Festival is a profoundly meaningful event, which has received significant attention from BNP Paribas , the Chinese music world and even the international music world. Mr. Laurent Couraudon, Country Head and Chairman of BNP Paribas China, Mr. Paul-Arnaud Péjouan, Artistic Director of the Festival Piano aux Jacobins, and Mr. Cizhao Wang, President of the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), Mr. Hongzhu Liu, Director of Foreign Affairs of CCOM and Mr. Ying Wu, Steinway Artist and Professor of the Piano Department of CCOM, attended the press conference. “BNP Paribas is very committed to the support of the arts. We know that China has a lot of extremely gifted young musicians, and we hope to give them the opportunity to showcase their skills at these kinds of events. We believe that this will be where they first shine on the international stage,” said Mr. Couraudon.
The 2013 BNP Paribas ‘Rising Star' Piano Festival will be held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall (FCCH) and the Concert Hall of CCOM in Beijing on April 11-14. Muye Wu, a famous Chinese pianist who studied in France and seven outstanding young students from CCOM, Bo Dai, Shuman Li, Siqian Li, Yao Lu, Yilei Hao, Xiyu Deng, and Xiaoyong Yang, make up a strong performance schedule. These 7 students have emerged after an intense selection and evaluation process led by international music experts and CCOM professors; these young people are the rising stars of the Chinese piano world, representing the highest standard in piano in China. As BNP Paribas said, one of the rising stars will be invited to perform in one of the most prestigious piano festival in France.
At the press conference, Mr. Laurent Couraudon presented these 7 young pianists with BNP Paribas ‘Rising Star' certificates and trophies, and encouraged them to actively pursue their piano dreams and shape their own bright futures. The world-famous young Chinese pianist, Muye Wu, will play at the opening concert for the Festival. His transcendent skill and musical expression has won the acclaim of the European music world, where he was named the “golden fingers” of European Piano. His participation is a true highlight of the Festival, establishing the BNP Paribas ‘Rising Star' Piano Festival within the music community.
In discussing the importance of this Festival, Mr. Cizhao Wang said, “As a part of the Chinese piano world, I truly hope that these students will have opportunities to hone and display their skills. Furthermore, I hope that these kinds of opportunities will introduce these young Chinese pianists to the world and help them move out onto the broader international stage. I am grateful for BNP Paribas ' vision, and I believe that the BNP Paribas ‘Rising Star' Piano Festival will be a resounding success.”
