VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts is hosting the fifth annual Global Summer Institute of Music, an intensive program that brings talented young musicians from around the world to Richmond, July 29 through Aug. 10.

Founded and directed by Yin Zheng, associate professor of piano in the VCU Department of Music, the institute fosters a unique environment for global cultural learning through artistic exchange, providing young musicians with feedback from renowned artists while allowing for immersive instrumental experiences in a supportive environment.

Faculty members from leading universities around the world provide instruction through one-on-one lessons, chamber music and master classes, as well as workshops and seminars that address specific topics. This summer, participants will include nearly 100 students and faculty from Germany, Italy, Austria, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Colombia, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Macau.

Throughout the program, free concerts and master classes will be held for the community at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, the James W. Black Music Center Recital Hall, the Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Performances include a showcase concert in Washington at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m.

Featured guest artist Ransom Wilson, concert flutist, conductor and professor of flute at Yale University, will conduct a free master class Monday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m. at the Singleton Center. The summer program will conclude with winners of a concerto competition performing with the GSIM Festival Orchestra at the closing gala concert Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Singleton Center.

For more information, visit go.vcu.edu/gsim orcontact GSIM@vcu.edu.