Long Yu is definitely in the running for the title of China's Busiest Man. Jumping from city to city as artistic director of Beijing’s China Philharmonic, music director of the Shanghai and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras, and the Beijing Music Festival's artistic director, Maestro Yu is a force in China's world of classical music.

The Beijing-based maestro’s commute in a typical week might take him to Guangzhou, back to Beijing for another two days, with a quick trip to Shanghai squeezed in before the weekend. It was on such a daytrip to Shanghai that we finally snagged an hour with the conductor. The setting was appropriate for such an influential man – the Jin Jiang Hotel – an art deco gem that has seen many historic events, including the signing of the 1972 joint communiqué between China and the United States, normalising relations between the two countries.

Of medium height and build, with a powerful chest that would be the envy of any tenor, Maestro Yu exudes confidence and seriousness. Over breakfast, the 45 year old steers the conversation towards what is most important to him – music education. As China’s economic growth allows people to indulge in Taobao consumerism, he sees music as a means of preserving and cultivating culture, giving the Chinese something beyond material goods to aspire to. It's part of his responsibility, he says, to help “develop a cultural life.” Otherwise, in his view, “money stinks.”

He is happy to use all three orchestras to reach out to students of all ages, singling out pianist Lang Lang who is “most generous with his time in educational projects for younger children,” Yu says. He knows that China has a long way to go in building a dedicated and knowledgeable audience for Western classical music. That’s why, as he juggles time for each orchestra, he makes sure he never misses conducting children’s concerts.

He cites statistics that indicate 30 million children are learning to play the piano today in China. Yet, Yu wonders, “Do they enjoy music?” He worries that “those teaching music in middle school have no idea what music education should consist of. Instead of teaching pupils popular songs, it is more important to teach how to appreciate music.” He fears many parents are pushing their kids, dreaming that Little Bing or Tiny Tang will become the next Lang Lang or Yo Yo Ma.

Music Lessons

But it was not so long ago that such goals were unthinkable, or even positively dangerous. The decade-long Cultural Revolution that began in 1966 dealt a severe blow to the tenuous hold Western classical music had in China. Yu, who comes from a family of musicians (his mother is a pianist, his father a choreographer), witnessed the persecution and terror of that period, when Western music was banned and those who taught or performed it were beaten and shamed, sometimes to the point of suicide.

Yu’s grandfather, Ding Shande, a well-known composer and educator, survived the Cultural Revolution. He passed on to his gifted grandchild not only his musical knowledge, but also “an optimistic view of life,” and the value of hard work, Yu explains. These lessons serve him well now, as he spearheads the development of classical music presentation in China and the recognition of Chinese ensembles and musicians in the West.

The turning point in the Chinese Communist Party’s attitude towards Western music came with an invitation to Isaac Stern, the eminent violinist, to visit China in 1979 for a series of concerts and master classes. As documented in the Academy-Award winning film From Mao to Mozart, the visit gave Chinese musicians a refreshing opportunity to interact with a world-class musician, and for the West to get a glimpse of the next generation of Chinese talent. Among those in the film are Wang Jian, now an international concert cellist and resident artist of the Shanghai Symphony; and violinist Vera Tsu, who went on to become concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She now performs and teaches in Beijing and is Long Yu’s wife.

Yu, who switched from piano to conducting while still at the Shanghai Conservatory, continued his studies at the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin. He quickly established himself as a conductor, with credentials that now include appearances with the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Hamburg Opera, Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, the Sydney Symphony and the Tokyo Philharmonic. As well, he has led the Guangzhou, Shanghai and China Philharmonic Orchestras in extensive tours of Europe, North America and Asia.

Still, his latest appointment as music director of the Shanghai Symphony ruffled a few musical feathers. There are those who claim a more elegant baton technique, but there are none to challenge Yu’s managerial and administrative know how. Besides, the maestro knows how to make news, and as he states, “Shanghai deserves attention.”