Interview with Dr. Cathy Chan, Director of The Chinese Performing Arts Academy
and Walnut Hill Trustee
“Every evening we have a meeting and we review the day, I serve a Chinese snack, and professional instructors teach Tai Chi exercises. I also teach one Chinese character—the word—the shape—the meaning. They tell me they use this character all the time and I tell them these are simple characters with profound meanings.”
So does Dr. Cathy Chan describe just one aspect of her role as Director of the Chinese Performing Arts Academy (CPAA) at Walnut Hill. The program began twenty years ago when Dr. Chan observed that there were talented musicians from Asia attending many music festivals in the U.S. She wondered if she could run a summer program and turned to Walnut Hill’s Associate Dean for the Arts, Roger Shoemaker, with her idea. Now, the program is thriving—thirty-nine students this past summer—with world-class instructors like Russell Sherman, Yehudi Wyner, and Lawrence Lesser—and outdoor orchestral performances with the Longwood Symphony on Boston’s Esplanade with upwards of 8,000 attendees.
Over the years, Dr. Chan has seen many improvements to the program and one easily concludes that her guiding hand has been the true force behind these changes. CPAA has grown under Dr. Chan’s leadership to an organization known for preeminent music faculty members and an exceptional chamber music program, which, for many Asian students, is a new experience. Dr. Chan states that the program gets better each year, from the orchestral performances and the program’s collaboration with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra to the private lessons given by world-class teachers. She states, “Our teachers are so wonderful. They teach a piece so that the student has something solid to perform, not just because the piece will look good on a resume. They also teach that competition is a way of learning and that participation and learning are more important than the results. This is something special that our music teachers truly understand,” she asserted.
Students look forward to the nightly sessions Chan teaches about Chinese characters. Dr. Chan creates an oasis of calm where there are no performances, no competitions, no rehearsals—simply a place to learn and reflect. Chan takes two words —big and sky, for example—and draws the Chinese characters for these words. As she draws the word “big” in the shape of a person stretching an arm and combines it with “sky” which is a big stroke on top, followed by a short stroke, Chan has the students spellbound with the ensuing discussion about the combined strokes. “No matter how big you are, there is something above you. Even you are not as big as the sky,” she says to them gently.
Over the years as CPAA’s Director, Dr. Chan has provided her students with a gateway to Walnut Hill by encouraging selected summer students to apply for admission. Once enrolled at Walnut Hill, CPAA students perform extremely well both academically and artistically, according to Dr. Chan. This past summer, Rebecca Cheung ’12, attended the CPAA for the first time and subsequently applied and was admitted to Walnut Hill as a full-time student. Rebecca, a cello major from Taiwan, will study with Mark Churchill, Dean of New England Conservatory’s preparatory school. The winner of this year’s CPAA Concerto Competition, Cun-Mo Yin, has applied to enter Walnut Hill’s program in January, 2010 and plans to study with Hung-Kuan Chen, former piano chair of Shanghai Conservatory. Additionally, fourteen of CPAA’s string/flute students performed this summer with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra under Mr. Jonathan McPhee.
Even with traditional promotional activities at a minimum, via word-of-mouth the program has gained an international reputation as a summer gem for young, talented, musicians. Current students are taught by teachers who attended the program years ago and are now returning to contribute to student development and give back to their summer alma mater. What better testimony is there for a program that knows how to reach its students through the wisdom revealed by Chinese characters and the inner strength found in this idea: “in competition, participating and learning are more important than results.”
Learn more about the Chinese Performing Arts Academy
Name: Rebecca Cheung
Hometown: Taiwan, born in Los Angeles
How did you hear about Walnut Hill?
My family is good friends with the parents of a student (Nan-cheng Chen) who graduated from Walnut Hill then went to Juilliard. His mom told my mom about the school.
What attracted you to Walnut Hill?
I heard a lot about the teachers from the New England Conservatory. Plus, it’s pretty, with a swimming pool, and I looked at the web site, too.
To wrap up your summer program with The Chinese Performing Arts Academy, what did you perform?
Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 1.
What was your favorite thing to do on campus over the summer?
Talk to my roommate.
What was the most important thing you’ve learned here?
From my teachers I’ve learned to be kind and to get along with my roommate.
Besides playing the cello, what else do you like to do?
I’ve been playing the cello since I was 7 years old. I like to swim, read, and travel. Plus, I like to help my friends with their homework and music. I have to say I was very busy here over the summer with chamber class and private lessons.
Favorite foods in this dining hall?
Pizza and salad
When you’re relaxing, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
Classical, mostly Dvorak.
Who is your favorite female singer?
Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical
