Pipa player Zhang Qiang and cellist Li-Wei Qin perform with the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Friday. CHINA DAILY

"They showed no signs of fatigue after the long journey. Instead, they were brimming with energy and vitality, displaying a level of immersion and imagination that surpassed even that of more experienced adult symphony orchestras," Jing says.

The first half of both concerts was given to Chinese compositions, including the symphonic prelude of Instants d'un Opera de Pekin (Moments From a Peking Opera) by Chen Qigang, and the cello and pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) concerto A Happy Excursion by Zhao Lin, featuring soloists Li-Wei Qin on the cello and Zhang Qiang on the pipa.

"I particularly like Moments From a Peking Opera, though it's very difficult to play. I need to be able to control my fingers to express its quiet, ethereal feel. In contrast, I also need to play loudly, with dramatic expression," says 12-year-old violist Huang Jingyu, who has been playing with the youth orchestra since 2018. "It's always a great experience to play music with the other members of the orchestra who share a love for music."

"In the music played by these young people, we can almost hear the grand narratives of an ancient land and the aesthetic traditions of the Chinese. As a member of the audience, I was moved to tears by the sheer talent these young musicians displayed. Music is an international language that can unite people and help build a better future together," said ballet dancer Aliya Tanykpayeva, who was born in Kazakhstan and is the principal ballerina of the Hungarian State Opera, after the concert.