China Conservatory of Music

The China Conservatory of Music was founded in 1964 on the instruction of Zhou Enlai, with a specific purpose: to preserve, teach and develop Chinese national music. That distinguishes it from the Central Conservatory of Music in the same city, which is oriented toward the Western classical tradition. For a Kazakh applicant that distinction decides which institution is relevant. A student intending Western classical performance should look at the Central Conservatory. A student interested in Chinese traditional instruments, Chinese vocal technique or Chinese music theory belongs here. There is a genuine point of connection worth noting. Kazakh traditional music has its own instrumental and vocal forms, and Central Asian and Chinese musical traditions share historical contact along the Silk Road. A student interested in comparative or ethnomusicological work has more to build on here than the institution's national framing suggests. Teaching is in Chinese and the audition decides admission.