{"id":3266,"date":"2024-11-04T14:53:51","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T14:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdw.ac.at\/internationalblog\/?p=3266"},"modified":"2025-08-20T09:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:34:10","slug":"growing-on-an-artistic-and-personal-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdw.ac.at\/internationalblog\/2024\/11\/04\/growing-on-an-artistic-and-personal-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing on an Artistic and Personal Level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Clarinettist and mdw student Xiaocheng Wang studied for one semester at the Lucerne School of Music<\/a> and a year at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent<\/a>. \u201cI wanted to experience different countries and thus also different sound traditions and musical approaches\u201d, says Xiaocheng about his choice. He is currently in his final semester at the mdw in clarinet performance with Christoph Zimper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2023 summer semester, Xiaocheng began studying at the Lucerne School of Music and received a warm reception: \u201cMy fellow students were very friendly, communicative, and international.\u201d Xiaocheng lived in a student dormitory especially for music students, located in a quiet area. Lucerne\u2019s location on Vierwaldst\u00e4ttersee 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). \u201cI performed there myself with a local ensemble. We played Mozart\u2019s Requiem in the fantastic acoustics of the KKL\u2019s Concert Hall,\u201d says Xiaocheng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Xiaocheng in the KKL\u2019s Concert Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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: \u201cI met people from all fields of study. There was also a laid-back caf\u00e9 at the university where jazz concerts were held.\u201d There were no language difficulties for Xiaocheng, who comes from China: \u201cIn class, they always did me the favour of speaking High German, but I was also willing to learn Swiss German.\u201d As to the teaching at the Lucerne School of Music, he says: \u201cIn 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.\u201d In general, Xiaocheng would recommend a semester abroad to other students, \u201cif 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.\u201d 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)<\/a>, living in Switzerland is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Xiaocheng with friends in Lucerne.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cI felt accepted on a human and artistic level, and the teachers gave me very positive feedback about my progress.\u201d 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: \u201cI want to encourage other students to trust themselves and develop their own formats. It\u2019s better not to wait for someone to approach you with an idea, but to come up with one yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Xiaocheng performing with musicians from the conservatories in Ghent and Antwerp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The young clarinettist has grown on an artistic and personal level through his stays abroad: \u201cIt 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.\u201d As an mdw student abroad, one is also an ambassador for the distinctive Viennese sound: \u201cArtistically, people always saw me as someone coming from Vienna. As an mdw student, you profit from the city\u2019s reputation for its training and the special sound of its music.\u201d Xiaocheng is very thankful to those who made his stays abroad possible: \u201cMy biggest compliment goes to the mdw\u2019s International Office<\/a>, above all to Susanne F\u00fcl\u00f6p-Visconti, who always competently supported me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s degree at that city\u2019s University of Music and Theatre. Subsequently, he began his studies at the mdw: \u201cWhen I look back, that was absolutely the right decision. It opened a lot of doors for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text: Isabella Gaisbauer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. \u201cI wanted to experience different countries and thus also different sound traditions and musical approaches\u201d, says Xiaocheng about his choice. He is currently in his final semester at the mdw 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