Overseas musicians strike harmonious note in China

Armenian violinist Astrid Poghosyan works with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Poghosyan first learned about China from her mother, who after visiting the country brought her a doll dressed in a red and white qipao. She said her mother also encouraged her to study music as a child.

"I have two elder sisters, who studied piano and violin. We had a piano in our home, which I could play anytime I wanted, but my sister who studied violin wouldn't let me touch her instrument, which made me curious and eager to play it," Poghosyan said.

"When I was old enough, my mother asked me what musical instrument I wanted to learn, and I immediately said violin. I guess that I decided my own destiny."

As Poghosyan was the only foreign student in her class, she learned about Chinese culture from her classmates. During her studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, she was introduced to traditional Chinese music and Chinese folk music. She particularly loves the sound of the guzheng, a Chinese zither.

As a student, Poghosyan also listened to works by Chinese composers, including Huang Zi (1904-38), who trained in the United States at Oberlin College in Ohio and at Yale University.

"That's the power of music. It reaches people of different nationalities," Poghosyan said.

She added that her violin teacher Xu Weiling, who she refers to as her "Chinese mother", has been understanding and supportive.

"When I told her about my job as a management employee with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, she was highly supportive because she knows me well," Poghosyan said. The Armenian added that she was an extremely active student at university, where she played violin and took part in many school events as a volunteer.