(W.E. Talk) Joseph W. Polisi: Music can make U.S. and China understand each other better

By Wang Zonghan and An Yingzhao from CNS

Recently, a video of the children's choir One Voice from Utah, U.S. , singing "As You Wish" in Chinese in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing went viral on social media. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the benign interaction between the two countries in the fields of music and other arts has long injected positive energy into the cultural exchanges between the two sides. Joseph W. Polisi, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and president emeritus of the Juilliard School, is not only an important witness, but also played a driving role. In September 2023, Polisi was awarded the first Orchid Award "Lifetime Honorary Prize".

We can see the same values in Chinese music tradition as in Western music, Dr. Polisi said in an exclusive interview with CNS's "W.E. Talk" recently. He believed that if we can directly apply the metaphor of music creation to geopolitical issues, perhaps we can also better understand each other in this important field.

Here are the excerpts of the interview:

CNS: Chinese culture encompasses many areas: such as food, architecture, music, etc. What is the first area of engagement for you? What got your attention in Chinese culture while you were in college?

Joseph W. Polisi: I grew up in Flushing, Queens, one of the most diverse boroughs in New York City and had many Chinese friends.

I was always interested in history, and I became fascinated in Chinese history during my undergraduate years as a political science major and then during my graduate studies in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. When I was a graduate student in music at Yale in the 1970s, I was very impressed with the new wave of Chinese musicians who were coming to study in the US and in Europe.

It was clear to me that China had awakened to a new period in which its society had committed to understanding Westen classical music. My great respect for Chinese culture and traditions has brought me to develop music education programs in China as soon as I began to work in the profession.