Chasing Dreams with Voice, Nurturing Hearts with Beauty | The "Voice of the Future" Youth (and Children's) Choral Competition at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music at Chongqing Normal University Comes to a Successful Close

To thoroughly implement the university's aesthetic education immersion initiative, fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, promote mutual appreciation between Chinese and Russian art, and build a high-level showcase platform for youth choral art, the inaugural "Voice of the Future" Youth (and Children's) Choral Competition of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music was grandly held on May 17 at the Concert Hall of Chongqing Normal University (University Town Campus). The competition was guided by the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, jointly hosted by Chongqing Normal University and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and organized by the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music at Chongqing Normal University. Outstanding primary and secondary school choirs gathered together, singing the melodies of the times with heavenly harmonies and displaying youthful spirit with pure voices.

At the opening ceremony, Huang Yongyi, Vice President of Chongqing Normal University, delivered an address, emphasizing that the competition is a vivid practice of the university's commitment to fostering virtue through education and deepening aesthetic education immersion, as well as an innovative exploration of promoting artistic exchange and nurturing the new generation through the China–Russia cooperation platform. Next, Ms. Mariia Chelmakina, chair of the jury and senior lecturer of the Choral Conducting Department of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, spoke in turn. She highly praised the international caliber of the competition, fully affirmed its significance in building a bridge for China–Russia musical and artistic exchange, and—with the rigorous, professional artistic standards of the Moscow Conservatory—infused the competition with authoritative strength and beautiful expectations.

The opening concert then officially began. The original work Three Musical Pictures of Chongqing, composed by CQNU Tchaikovsky Conservatory faculty member Fedor Amosov on a poem by Sergey Irinyov, received its premiere performance. The piece was conducted by Associate Professor Wen Qi of Chongqing Normal University, performed by Conservatory faculty members Sergey Irinyov and Fedor Amosov, and sung jointly by Wu Jingyu, Vice Dean of the School of Music at CQNU, together with the Silk Road Choir—drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience. The exquisite performance sounded a magnificent prelude for the competition. Finally, Mr. Cheng Xiangyu, Director of the Physical Education, Health, and Arts Division of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, declared the competition open.

The competition featured a jury of authoritative Chinese and Russian experts: Mariia Chelmakina, senior lecturer of the Choral Conducting Department of the Moscow Conservatory and of the Academic Vocal Department of the Russian Institute of Modern Arts; Mr. Wang Yanping, Vice President of the China Chorus Association; Mr. Wen Silong, conductor and doctoral supervisor; Ms. Wen Qi, President of the Chongqing Choral Association; and Ms. Zhou Zhou, Doctor of Choral Conducting of the Moscow Conservatory.

The competition brought together 18 outstanding school choirs from across the city, with primary and secondary school groups taking the stage in turn. Teams such as the "Daybreak Choir" of the CQNU Affiliated Experimental Primary School and the "CQNU Affiliated High School Choir" of the CQNU Affiliated Science City High School performed with full spirit and harmonious voices—presenting, with clear and sincere singing, seamlessly coordinated voice parts, and delicate, moving interpretation, one choral gem after another, uplifting in theme and diverse in style. The repertoire ranged from Chinese works of profound heritage to distinctive classics from China and abroad, melodious and rich in meaning—fully displaying the vigorous, aspiring spirit and solid artistic attainment of young people in the new era, and drawing rounds of applause from the audience.

With a professional perspective and rigorous attitude, the jury conducted comprehensive evaluations of all competing teams, commending the choirs and individuals with outstanding performances.

Following the competition, the Conservatory will also invite internationally renowned experts to hold a series of choral masterclasses, offering thematic teaching and practical guidance on vocal technique, the art of conducting, piano collaboration, and stylistic development—helping elevate the choral artistry of primary and secondary schools across the board, and further advancing in-depth exchange between Chinese and Russian choral art.

Looking ahead, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music at Chongqing Normal University will continue to leverage its strengths in international education and its professional leadership—cultivating the fertile soil of aesthetic education, telling artistic stories well, and broadening channels of exchange. Educating through beauty and nurturing through culture, it will keep cultivating the new generation and contribute even more to China–Russia artistic exchange and the flourishing of culture.