On March 23^rd, the opening ceremony of the 10^th USTB Youth Arts Festival and the special performance of Artist HOU Letian's musical comedy were held in the USTB Auditorium & Staff Activity Hall. Prof. SUN Jinghong, Vice Chancellor of USTB, leaders from the Party Office, the School Office, the Department of Public Affairs and Communications, the Office of Faculty Ethics, the Department of Student Affairs, the Communist Youth League Committee, the Department of Academic Affairs, the Graduate School, the Department of Admissions and Career Services and other departments, together with heads of all faculties and over 300 representatives of students and teachers attended the event on-site, which was also broadcast live online through the school network. The Mr. Youngs Male Chorus kicked off the festival with the song 'I'm Yours'.

“I'm Your's” by Mr. Youngs Male Chorus 

Prof. SUN Jinghong made a speech

Prof. SUN Jinghong announced the opening of the festival and made a speech. He said that since the establishment of USTB, the university has attached great importance to the important role of art education and campus culture in the cultivation of talents, adhering to the art education concept of the Blend between Science and Art, The Communication of humanism and innovation,’ vigorously promoting the interaction and complementary of the first and second class, deepening the infiltration of elegance, popularity and original art. USTB has produced a large number of high-quality projects, educational brands, and cultivated numerous engineers who can play the violin. He pointed out that this year's festival will build a platform for students to enhance their abilities and improve their artistic accomplishments. He hopes that every student in USTB can cherish this opportunity and participate in the festival enthusiastically in order to cultivate temperament, improve qualities and perfect themselves.

Special performance "The PIANO vs. OBOE"

The audiences react enthusiastically 

The festival’s first performance was a unique musical comedy performed by young piano Artist HOU Letian and his partner WANG Qirui - a special performance of “The PIANO VS. OBOE.” With the humorous opening of HOU Letian's version of ‘Admission Instructions,’ the musical comedy kicked off with Mozart's "Piano Sketch in C Major,” in which HOU Letian and WANG Qirui showed the audience a new way to play the classical instrument, the piano, with a funny and professional performance. They then performed a hilarious rendition of some well-known musical compositions such as “Carmen Variations on a Theme,” “Jasmine Flower,” and “The Moon Represents My Heart.” Whenever the familiar melody starts, the audience will happily beat the beat and sway their bodies to the rhythm of the music. Finally, the two artists presented a string of songs from "Carmen" and "Journey to the West" as the finale. Their humorous dialogues and exaggerated performances amused everyone and made the atmosphere climax. The performance integrated professionalism with fun, enabling teachers and students to intuitively appreciate the unique charm of art.

The USTB Arts Festival is a brand of cultural construction in USTB, and it is one of the most representative cultural activities of the university. Nine successful festivals have been held so far. This year’s festival includes four chapters: "Appreciation,” "Sounds of Nature,” "Striving," and "Blossom.”

In the next three months, USTB will hold art lectures, famous artists' forums, elegant arts on campus, special performances by high-level art troupes, host competition, campus singer competition, dancing competition, instrumental music competition, original song lyrics competition, literary theme group day and other colorful and enjoyable arts and cultural activities to comprehensively promote quality-oriented education, promote students' overall development, enhance students' artistic cultivation and aesthetic interest and create a palace of art for USTBers.

Draft: WANG Feiran

Revision: CHENG Mingyuan