STORY: American composer: bridging East and West through music
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 31, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 8, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:18
LOCATION: TIANJIN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Athens
2. various of Tianjin Juilliard School
3. various of Athens
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
5. various of Athens in the Tianjin Juilliard School
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
7. various of Athens in the Tianjin Juilliard School
8. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
9. various of Athens and students
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer

STORYLINE:

Athens is a music theory, sight-singing, and ear-training educator and composer at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

Born in the American state of Texas in 1988, Athens developed an interest in China through reading.

After spending an academic year on his Fulbright Scholarship at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, he got a deeper understanding of the country.

Now, he's a teacher at Tianjin Juilliard School.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
"I guess I'm in my fourth year teaching here now. And I love my job and I love our students. I mean, I feel incredibly lucky to be here."

While teaching at Tianjin Juilliard School, a collaborator recommended a poem from the Book of Odes to Athens for his new composition. This book is the earliest existing anthology of poetry in China dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC.

Athens was inspired by the poems and composed a chamber work in which Western classical music and ancient Chinese poetry blend in perfect harmony.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
"She recommended several poems including Xi You Chang Chu, the one that ended up being the last of the songs of the piece. And that poem immediately grabbed me, and I sort of had an idea about what I could do musically with this, and I liked the expressive core of it and sort of the message of that poem."

Traditional Chinese instruments and folk tunes also provided sparks of inspiration for him.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
"I'm trying to do some (combinations), and also add more interesting harmonic things and trying to make it a little more sophisticated. But I think having arranged so many Chinese songs has sort of slowly taught me this melodic style as well."

As a composer and a musical teacher, Athens hopes to eventually build bridges of understanding between the East and West.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): NICCOLO ATHENS, American composer
"No matter what cultural differences there are, I think the more bridges like this that we have going, the better our world will be. I think this school is an incredible example of that, a way to bring people together. It's wonderful. I hope that the school continues to flourish and that there can be more similar projects."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tianjin, China.
(XHTV)