In November 2023, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, together with renowned professors from 12 universities, including Peking University in China, Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and New York University in the United States, initiated the establishment of the International Alliance of Arts Management (IAAM), aimed at promoting international cooperation and development in arts management. From July 22 to 31, 2024, as the first significant project targeting graduate students in arts management training since the alliance's inception, the First International Summer Camp for Master's and Doctoral Students in Arts Management, jointly hosted by Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and IAAM, was held at the conservatory. The 10-day camp welcomed 15 graduate students from 11 universities in China, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and other countries.

Opening Ceremony

The summer camp focused on "Theater Development and International Artistic Exchange," guided by an international perspective and forward-thinking mindset, emphasizing the integration of practice and theory, as well as grasping current situations and trends. It comprised three main segments: expert lectures, field studies, and discussion forums. Graduate students in arts management from around the world gathered to delve into the latest achievements and exchange insights. The opening ceremony was hosted by Ding Ling, the camp director and teacher from the Art & Cultural Management Institute for Advanced Study at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.

Professor Lin Hongming, President of IAAM and Dean of the Art & Cultural Management Institute for Advanced Study at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, elaborated on the purpose, objectives, and professional content design of the international summer camp, urging participants to cherish this rare learning opportunity and actively share their insights from arts management studies and the development of theaters in their respective countries and cities.

Rich Agenda and Profound Exchanges

The summer camp featured an array of academic lectures and specialized courses.Professors such as Maloney from New York University (USA), Demonet from Sorbonne University (France), Lin Hongming from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music (China), and Shell from the University of York (UK) presented diverse courses. Complementing theoretical studies, the summer camp arranged five days of intensive field studies, encompassing 13 site visits, live sharing sessions by three industry leaders, and three diverse performances. Participants visited the 94-year-old Shanghai Concert Hall, which embodies the "yesterday" of theaters, and the upcoming Shanghai Grand Opera House, representing the future trends of theater construction. This journey through the past and future of theaters left a profound and fascinating impression on the campers.

With a focus on the current operational status and functional roles of theaters in China, the campers traveled to Shanghai, Wuzhen, Hangzhou, and Yuyao to investigate high-level art exchanges and presentations, including the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the model of integrated theater and orchestra management at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, the Wuzhen Theatre serving as the core venue for the renowned Wuzhen Theatre Festival, the Hangzhou Grand Theatre promoting the communication and exchange of canal culture, and the Hangzhou Opera House, which integrates performances, conferences, and exhibitions to drive regional cultural development. They also watched the original musical "Dui Niao," a project funded by the National Art Fund in 2023, at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre.

One distinctive aspect of the field studies was the exploration of the interaction between theater renovation and urban renewal. The campers visited the 1862 Fashion Arts Center in Shanghai, converted from the Xiangsheng Shipyard, and the New Heaven Sun Theater in Hangzhou, which boasts over 1,400 seats and was renovated from the former sheet metal welding workshop of Hangzhou Heavy Machinery Plant. They watched the Cirque du Soleil performance "X The Dream Space" there. Additionally, the campers traveled to the West Lake National Wetland Park in Hangzhou to enjoy the original immersive performance "Tonight at West Lake," created by Dafeng and steeped in Song Dynasty aesthetics. The new spaces, trends, and scenarios of Chinese performing arts left a lasting impression on everyone.

To provide campers with a systematic perspective on theater construction and operation, this summer camp specially arranged visits to the China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF), the national-level comprehensive arts festival hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and its operating entity, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center. Additionally, field trips were conducted to the Cultural and Sports Creativity & Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park and Dafeng Science and Innovation Center, both belonging to Zhejiang Dafeng Industrial Co., Ltd., a national key high-tech enterprise, located in Yuyao and Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province respectively.

From the dual perspectives of innovative practices in theater operation and international art exchange development, campers eagerly attended three thematic lectures at the on-site venues. Zhou Ping, the President of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, presented on "Exploration of the Integrated Operation Mode of Venue and Troupe." Huang Yan, Director of the Program Trading Department of the CSIAF Center and General Manager of Shanghai Foreign Culture Exchange Co., Ltd., spoke on "The Composition and Operation of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival." Meanwhile, Qiu Jianwei, Executive Deputy General Manager of Wuzhen Theater Company Limited, shared insights on "Multi-dimensional Exploration and Practice in the Operation of Wuzhen's New Performing Arts Spaces."

Art management graduate students from various countries autonomously planned three exchange and discussion activities centered on the summer camp theme. These were hosted by Thomas Harrison from the Sorbonne University, Liu Chen from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, and Huang Shengwei from Xinghai Conservatory of Music. Participants actively spoke up and delved deeply into topics such as art management curriculum design, the latest trends in theater construction and operation, international art exchange and cooperation cases, art innovation under the influence of cultural policies, and personal insights gained from field trips. Through these intellectual collisions and sparks of inspiration, campers not only showcased the wisdom and charm of art management students but also deepened their mutual understanding and friendships.

Closing Ceremony

At the closing ceremony, each camper was presented with a graduation certificate specially crafted by Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and the International Alliance of Arts Management.

Amidst feelings of reluctance to part, the ten-day summer camp came to a successful conclusion. All campers expressed their sentiments freely and enthusiastically. Li Ruizhen from Hanyang University in South Korea remarked, "I was surprised to find that Chinese people are so knowledgeable about what's happening in Korea. I am eager to apply everything I've learned here to my career and also look forward to future collaborations with China." Chen Fanghe from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, on the other hand, said that the summer camp was a process of enlightenment for him, enabling him to see the possibility of turning his ideals into reality.

The summer camp also prompted many students to engage in professional reflection. Xi Huiwen from the Central Academy of Drama mentioned, "During our study, we saw various successful models. Can they be fully replicated? How can performances more directly deliver emotional value to audiences through content, form, marketing, and other means? These are all questions worth pondering." Yang Yufei from New York University also commented, "When observing these venues from an art management perspective, I noticed more operational logic and advanced technologies that are worthy of consideration."

The international perspectives broadened and the valuable friendships forged during the summer camp became focal points of camper narratives. Yuan Hang from King's College London said, "Through field studies, I saw the development potential of China's own culture and the need to enhance its international influence." Liu Mengtong from the University of Sorbonne expressed more visions for the future: "I feel incredibly fortunate to share the confusion and aspirations about the future with such a group of young people who, like me, are full of kindness and hope for the world. I have already started looking forward to seeing each other again and remembering the place where we met."