Recently, a 'Literary Light Cavalry' team from the Piano Department of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music traveled to Ireland and Italy to embark on a twelve-day international art tour titled 'Crossing Eurasia·Piano Department Friendship.' Led by Professor Giovanni Vitaletti and Associate Professor Tan Lu of the Collaborative Piano Department, the team, comprising outstanding students Gan Qingyuan, Wang Ziyi, Zhu Hangchenyu, Zhang Haixiang, Zheng Liyang, Zhu Yuanheng, Yuan Yimu, and Gai Borui, quietly composed a touching chapter of harmonious Eastern and Western art through ten wonderful concerts and intensive academic exchange activities.

The first stop of the tour was Dublin, Ireland, where the sound of the piano flowed leisurely in the historic halls. At the Royal Irish Academy of Music's organ hall and the Wirt Theatre, the students made stunning appearances with two high-level concerts. On site, they accurately interpreted Western classical works by Bach, Chopin, Liszt, and others, deeply moving the audience with their solid professional skills and delicate emotional expression, receiving lasting and enthusiastic applause. During the subsequent masterclass exchanges, several senior professors from the Royal Irish Academy of Music gave full recognition to the students' performances and provided detailed and in-depth, targeted guidance on aspects such as interpretation of the works and refinement of playing techniques.

The trip to Italy was a romantic journey deep into the heart of art. The team completed eight performances in well-known theaters and concert halls in various places, including San Giovanni Valdarno, Montepulciano, Sarteano, Cinigiano, San Quirico d'Orcia, Pesaro, and Osimo. Wherever the 'literary and artistic light cavalry' went, they presented solo performances that blended Eastern charm with the essence of Western classical music, becoming a bright spot in the local cultural life. They also passionately performed several famous Chinese piano pieces, including Chen Qigang's 'Moments in Beijing Opera' and Chu Wanghua's 'Caprice No. 2,' allowing the sounds of Eastern piano music to gracefully flow on Italy's artistic stage.

During the performance at San Giovanni Valdarno, the team received a warm welcome from the local mayor, Valentina Vadi, and officials from the cultural department. Both sides engaged in a brief and friendly exchange on cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries. The mayor highly recognized the performance level of the students from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and expressed strong anticipation for future cultural exchanges between the two places. Major Italian media outlets such as La Nazione and Corriere di Siena also focused on reporting, providing detailed introductions to the students' performances and the reactions at the venue, further enhancing the influence of this tour.

During the tour, academic exchanges progressed simultaneously. The team successively entered the core classrooms of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Conservatorio Statale di Musica Gioachino Rossini in Pesaro, Italy. Students from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music participated throughout the masterclasses taught by professors from both schools, gaining a lot in terms of performance skills improvement and grasp of musical style.

At the same time, Professor Giovanni Vitaletti and Associate Professor Tan Lu each held 36 masterclasses for students from the two schools. While teaching Western classical piano works to the students of both schools, they also systematically shared insights and teaching philosophies on performing Chinese classical pieces on the piano. Particularly noteworthy is that the Collaborative Piano Department of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music took advantage of this visit to engage in practical and in-depth friendly exchanges with the Piano Departments of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Pesaro–Rossini Conservatory of Music. Both parties fully exchanged opinions and reached consensus on core topics such as talent cultivation, academic research, and artistic practice, laying a solid foundation for establishing regular and structured exchange and cooperation in the piano discipline between the two schools in the future.