Clarinettist and mdw student Xiaocheng Wang studied for one semester at the Lucerne School of Music and a year at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. “I wanted to experience different countries and thus also different sound traditions and musical approaches”, says Xiaocheng about his choice. He is currently in his final semester at the mdw in clarinet performance with Christoph Zimper.

In the 2023 summer semester, Xiaocheng began studying at the Lucerne School of Music and received a warm reception: “My fellow students were very friendly, communicative, and international.” Xiaocheng lived in a student dormitory especially for music students, located in a quiet area. Lucerne’s location on Vierwaldstättersee makes it ideal for sport and recreation, and the surrounding mountains are inviting hiking areas. He appreciated the city itself for its cosy atmosphere with ample cultural offerings. Particularly in terms of classical music, it has much to offer, such as its well-known festival and the concert programme of the Kultur und Kongresszentrum Luzern (KKL). “I performed there myself with a local ensemble. We played Mozart’s Requiem in the fantastic acoustics of the KKL’s Concert Hall,” says Xiaocheng.

Compared with the mdw, the Lucerne School of Music is smaller in terms of the number of students. For Xiaocheng, this made it easier to get to know other students: “I met people from all fields of study. There was also a laid-back café at the university where jazz concerts were held.” There were no language difficulties for Xiaocheng, who comes from China: “In class, they always did me the favour of speaking High German, but I was also willing to learn Swiss German.” As to the teaching at the Lucerne School of Music, he says: “In terms of the clarinet, it was a good way to compare the French system with the German one and to do a lot of experimentation with regard to sound and technique with the teachers there, who play the French system.” In general, Xiaocheng would recommend a semester abroad to other students, “if one is already musically rooted somewhere and wants to develop further. I needed something new and knew that there was so much to learn from other teachers.” A disadvantage for Xiaocheng was that as a third-country national, he was not allowed to work in Switzerland in addition to his studies. While a scholarship is available through the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP), living in Switzerland is expensive.

In autumn 2023, Xiaocheng began studying at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. In the first semester, he already knew that he wanted to continue there, because, as he explains, “I felt accepted on a human and artistic level, and the teachers gave me very positive feedback about my progress.” In Belgium, Xiaocheng was able to take on student jobs, which made things easier financially and socially. He also realised a number of artistic projects and formed a chamber-music ensemble with musicians from the conservatories in Ghent and Antwerp that performed at historic and private locations. The conception of his own ideas for concerts was rewarding: “I want to encourage other students to trust themselves and develop their own formats. It’s better not to wait for someone to approach you with an idea, but to come up with one yourself.”

The young clarinettist has grown on an artistic and personal level through his stays abroad: “It expanded my horizon and my understanding for various cultures and thus also for musical languages and sound cultures, which helps me deal with a wide variety of repertoires. Personally, I learned how to come to terms with new people and places, and as an artist, how you market yourself and develop your own concepts.” As an mdw student abroad, one is also an ambassador for the distinctive Viennese sound: “Artistically, people always saw me as someone coming from Vienna. As an mdw student, you profit from the city’s reputation for its training and the special sound of its music.” Xiaocheng is very thankful to those who made his stays abroad possible: “My biggest compliment goes to the mdw’s International Office, above all to Susanne Fülöp-Visconti, who always competently supported me.”

Looking forward, Xiaocheng hopes for a position in a European orchestra, as well as the opportunity to realise individual projects and to teach. He started playing clarinet under the tutelage of his uncle at the age of eleven. When he was twenty, he moved from China to Leipzig to complete a bachelor’s degree at that city’s University of Music and Theatre. Subsequently, he began his studies at the mdw: “When I look back, that was absolutely the right decision. It opened a lot of doors for me.”

Text: Isabella Gaisbauer