The Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) officially established the Tango Art Research and Practice Center on Oct 26. Argentine ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja and Chinese ambassador to Argentina Zou Xiaoli were invited to the event.
The establishment of China's first professional tango research institution is not only the result of cooperation by CCOM and the National University of Art Institute in Argentina (Universidad Nacional de las Artes/UNA) since the signing of their strategic cooperation agreement, but also represents the deepening development and vitality of the Belt and Road music alliance.
As member universities of the alliance, the two universities have completed detailed consultations and preparations for the establishment of the Tango Art Research and Practice Center in China and the establishment of the Music Confucius Institute in Argentina.
Christina Vasquez, Dean of the Music School of UNA, expressed congratulations on the establishment of the center via video link. She said that as one of the identity symbols of Argentine culture, tango attracts the interest of many young Chinese musicians.
Vasquez pointed out that under the framework of the strategic cooperation agreement signed between the two universities, they will build a strategic plan and put it into action, aiming to jointly share the cognition and practice of tango, including vocal music and instrumental music, the performance techniques of organ, speech and text, the composition process, and style studies based on history, creation and dissemination background.
Narvaja said in his speech that in 2022, Argentina and China will usher in the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. At that time, the center will play a very important role in cultural exchanges and deepen cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Narvaja stressed that culture and art are always the best bridge to unite two cultures. The establishment of the Tango Art Research and Practice Center will become a significant event in bilateral relations between China and Argentina.
At the opening ceremony, musicians from both universities presented a concert, playing Chinese songs such as Flowing Water and Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon, as well as Argentine tango songs like The Last Drink, Masquerade Ball, and Piazzolla's representative works Autumn in Buenos Aires and Dogfish, to commemorate the centenary of the great tango composer.
In the future, the Tango Art Research and Practice Center will not only rely on the teaching and academic resources of Chinese and Argentine higher music education institutions to carry out tango research and promotion activities, but also invite institutions such as the Piazzolla Foundation and Argentina National Tango Research Institute, as well as experts and scholars in the field of tango research and practice, to join in their work.
Adhering to the purpose of exchange, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, CCOM will promote and strengthen China-Argentina music and cultural exchanges through central activities, help consolidate bilateral relations between China and Argentina, and promote exchanges and mutual learning.
Laura Piazzolla, President of the Piazzolla Foundation, Daniela Peretta, Director of the UNA International Exchange Office of the National University of Art Institute in Argentina, Guillermo Rehman, Coordinator of the UNA International Affairs of Music School, and Cao Yue, Official of the Cultural Department of the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, attended the event online.
