A new musical bridge between China and Brigham Young University opened up on January 23, 2019. Members of the BYU piano faculty met with a large delegation of Chinese piano professors and representatives from the Yamaha Piano Corporation to discuss future collaborative masterclasses between BYU and Chinese pianists. The delegation included teachers from the Central Conservatory of Music (“the Julliard of China”), as well as teachers from conservatories in Zhajiang, Wuhan, Sichuan, Xinghai, Mianyang, and Guangdong.
The collaborative masterclasses will be made possible due to Disklavier technology equipped on Yamaha pianos. Disklavier enables a performer to play a piano in one location and transfer the hammer action electronically to a connected piano in another location. Using Disklavier technology, professors can hold master classes with students via long distances and have a perfect idea of the sound being produced. Dr. Scott Holden, Professor of Piano at BYU, remarked that while BYU does not have any formal affiliation with any specific piano company, “We have enjoyed many wonderful pianos and the various possibilities that those pianos can create.” The possibility of long-distance masterclasses via Yamaha/Disklavier technology opens up an exciting world where pianists from China and BYU will be able to interact in deeper ways.