Music unites APAC: APEC Youth Concert 2026 wraps in SZ

Video by Li Bing'er

Pulse of a New Era – Opening Ceremony of the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival and the 2026 APEC China Year Asia-Pacific Youth Music Creation Concert, a key public welfare art project under the 2026 APEC China Year, was successfully held at Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School on the evening of July 20.

Centered on the annual core theme of the 2026 APEC China Year, "Building an Asia-Pacific Community with a Shared Future for Common Prosperity," the event gathered young music representatives from various APEC economies and top international symphonic performers to stage a joint performance. It inaugurated the 2026 edition of the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival and unveiled a grand series of international wind music exchange activities. 

Taking symphonic music as a cultural bond, the concert built a cross-regional and cross-civilization dialogue platform for young people, presented the official premiere of the original Asia-Pacific youth theme music, and delivered a high-standard Asia-Pacific youth cultural exchange gala featuring both international vision and Bay Area warmth. Xu Changjun, president of Tianjin Juilliard School, Zhang Yinglin, general manager of China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., and other distinguished guests attended the performance to observe and provide guidance.

Opening ceremony of the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival and the 2026 APEC China Year Asia-Pacific Youth Music Creation Concert.

Wayne Oquin, chair of Musicianship at the Juilliard School and a renowned American composer of national stature, attended the event and shared cutting-edge artistic concepts. Drawing on decades of experience in international music education, he spoke highly of the solid professional foundation and abundant artistic creativity of young Asia-Pacific musical talents. He proposed a vision for continued collaboration to advance coordinated music education across the Asia-Pacific, break geographical boundaries through symphonic art, and achieve integrated development of diverse cultures, infusing this cross-border youth music creation initiative with professional international artistic depth.

Address by Dr. Wayne Oquin, chair of Musicianship at The Juilliard School & Distinguished American Composer.

Joint efforts of multiple parties deliver a high-standard international cultural event

Co-hosted by the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival, Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School, Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation and Shenzhen Daily, and co-organized by C Music Center International Music Exchange Hub, the event integrated top-tier international wind music resources, high-quality Bay Area aesthetic education strengths and official international communication platforms, forming a high-specification, well-structured and far-reaching international youth art exchange matrix.

Ms. Lee Pui Ah, school director of Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School, delivered an on-site address. She stated that music transcends national borders and education connects the future. Upholding the school philosophy of "Integrating Chinese and Western traditions, combining Shenzhen and Hong Kong strengths, nurturing outstanding new generations," the school is committed to building diverse artistic growth platforms for students. 

Hosting the opening ceremony of this music festival not only provides an exchange stage for young overseas musicians, but also enables students from the school orchestra and choir to perform alongside international musicians and receive guidance from master artists, broadening their international artistic horizons. She noted that the school will continue to work with all stakeholders to deepen local aesthetic education and regularly carry out cross-border youth cultural exchanges to cultivate young talents with a global perspective, and wished the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival every success.

Address by Ms. Lee Pui Ah, school director of Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School.

Students Orchestra of Pui Kiu Xinyi School perform alongside international musicians.

Sun He, music director of the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival, shared that the event brings together musicians from 15 countries and regions, including youth representatives from 11 APEC economies. Launched in the Greater Bay Area on the occasion of the 2026 APEC China Year, Shenzhen serves as a window for the world to understand China. The festival aims to showcase the development of the city and the country to young people from all nations through music, and to advance people-to-people diplomacy through artistic exchanges.

Sun He, music director of the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival.

Leveraging the mature international platform of the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival, the event assembled veteran professional performers from around the world and young music representatives from multiple APEC economies to form a joint performing lineup. The entire event presented a high standard of artistic quality and a strong atmosphere of cross-cultural exchange, earning unanimous praise and high recognition from the live audience.

The event is highly acclaimed by all audience members.

A curated selection of masterpieces echoes the youthful voice of the Asia-Pacific

Joint performance by Pui Kiu Xinyi School Choir, the Beluga Boys’ Choir and the Little Lark Girls’ Choir.

The concert featured a selection of profound and stylistically diverse symphonic works, blending international wind music classics with Shenzhen's local urban cultural heritage. Using borderless musical language as a bridge for youth dialogue across the Asia-Pacific, the program vividly echoes the core mission of the 2026 APEC China Year to deepen regional intercultural exchange and build consensus on youth development. 

The entire performance was presented jointly by young musicians from 15 countries and regions. Performers from multiple nations took the stage together to perform classic pieces, with diverse regional artistic styles and performance techniques blending and complementing each other perfectly, fully demonstrating the international and high-caliber artistic standards of the concert and showcasing the unique charm of Asia-Pacific youth music co-creation.

On stage, local artistic forces and international performers created a brilliant synergy. Bougainvillea, a Shenzhen-themed choral work with lyrics by Keith Chan, music by Chan Wing Wah and arranged by Li Yuchan, was performed jointly by the Pui Kiu Xinyi School Choir, the Beluga Boys' Choir, the Little Lark Girls' Choir and orchestral musicians from various countries. The pure and melodious children's voices paired with grand symphonic accompaniment vividly interpreted Shenzhen's vibrant, upward-looking urban character, enabling local urban culture to reach the Asia-Pacific through the APEC international stage.

As the lyricist of Bougainvillea, Keith Chan, founder and principal of C Music Center International Music Exchange Hub and distinguished artist of Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation, stated in his on-site address that the deep integration of local urban cultural imagery and international symphonic interpretation sets a vivid example for Bay Area aesthetic education outreach. 

This event provides a rare platform for Asia-Pacific youth to create together on stage, and will continue to promote regular artistic exchanges between Chinese and foreign teenagers, letting the artistic voices of Bay Area youth resonate across the Asia-Pacific and around the world.

Address by Keith Chan, founder and principal of C Music Center International Music Exchange Hub, distinguished artist of Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation.

Chen Jinchen, a member of the Beluga Boys' Choir, shared that it was an extremely rare and deeply honored experience to perform "Bougainvillea," the song representing Shenzhen, together with young friends from all over the world and convey the city's charm through song. She also expressed heartfelt gratitude to her teachers for their dedicated guidance along the way, which has helped her continue to grow on her musical journey.

Meanwhile, the epic symphonic work "Victory by Thomas Bergersen" was performed jointly by the Pui Kiu Xinyi School Orchestra and the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival Orchestra. Young Bay Area student musicians and the professional international orchestra collaborated seamlessly on stage. The magnificent movement vividly captured the vigorous and thriving youthful spirit of the new generation of Asia-Pacific musical talents, symbolizing the shared vision of Asia-Pacific youth walking hand in hand toward a promising future.

Kiki, a student from the Pui Kiu Xinyi School Orchestra, shared her reflections on the rehearsal process "We all have different performing habits and musical interpretations. Through the process of working together, I learned to respect diverse artistic expressions and to communicate with empathy. I truly felt that music can transcend language and connect young people from different regions."

In addition, the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival Orchestra also performed Wayne Oquin's masterpiece "Tower Ascending" and Robert Spittal's landmark wind ensemble work "Concerto for Wind Ensemble." "Tower Ascending," with its uplifting melodic lines, symbolizes the spirit of young people striving for excellence and forging ahead, vividly expressing the contemporary significance of Asia-Pacific youth advancing together toward shared development under the APEC framework. "Concerto for Wind Ensemble," performed in its entirety by the orchestra, features richly layered wind sections in interwoven dialogue, vividly portraying a landscape of diverse Asia-Pacific civilizations blending and communicating on equal footing.

Young musician representatives from 15 countries and regions joined international professional performers to present the global official premiere of the original 2026 APEC China Year Asia-Pacific youth theme music. Young people from different regions and cultural backgrounds forged a profound cross-civilization artistic connection through musical notes. Jessie, a student from the Pui Kiu Xinyi School Choir, shared her deep feelings "Musicians from different countries set aside language barriers and communicate through melody. I feel immensely honored to showcase the charm of our city to the world through Chinese music."

Young musician representatives from 15 countries and regions perform jointly.

Deepening cultural exchange platforms to chart a new blueprint for Asia-Pacific youth artistic cooperation

This concert stands as an important landmark event in the cultural exchange series of the 2026 APEC China Year. By building bridges for Asia-Pacific youth communication through symphonic music and dissolving geographical and linguistic barriers through art, it effectively promotes mutual understanding among Asia-Pacific youth, fully demonstrates Shenzhen's open and inclusive character as an international metropolis, and injects youthful artistic momentum into the building of the Asia-Pacific Community with a Shared Future.

Yao Xiaofei, director of Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation, delivered a video address for the event. Drawing on the foundation's professional mandate, she noted that this APEC Asia-Pacific youth music creation initiative marks a landmark practice for the organization in promoting two-way international artistic exchange. Going forward, the foundation will continue to integrate high-quality global symphonic resources, build long-term and stable platforms for international youth artistic exchange, continuously empower the growth of young Bay Area artistic talents, and consolidate the foundation of people-to-people bonds across the Asia-Pacific through the power of art.

Video addressed by Yao Xiaofei, trustee of Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation.

Taking this concert as a new starting point, all participating organizations will deepen regular collaboration with the IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival, build a sustainable international art exchange platform for Asia-Pacific youth, and enrich the cultural exchange outcomes of the 2026 APEC China Year. With music as a borderless communication bond, participants will continuously expand channels for Asia-Pacific youth interaction, promote regional people-to-people connectivity, and gather youthful strength to advance coordinated progress and shared prosperity across the Asia-Pacific.

Opening ceremony of the 2026 IWAF International Wind Ensemble Academy & Festival and the 2026 APEC China Year Asia-Pacific Youth Music Creation Concert.