Children practice different musical instruments during a 10-day music camp in Beijing. The non-professionals will give a performance at the Beijing Concert Hall on Monday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY
Speaking about the project, Hu, who is training the students along with his musician friends, says: "For many of them, this will be their first music summer camp experience, and the first opportunity to perform in an orchestra at a concert hall."
The camp, which runs from 8:30 am to 3 pm daily, includes basic training and rehearsals for the performance.
The camp began with the children playing Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring under the guidance of Zhang Jingye, a violin teacher at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
As the artistic director of Orchestra Kids, Zhang says the project is a challenge both for the students and the teachers.
Speaking to the students, Zhang says: "I know you have been practicing the piece for days, but I want to say it doesn't matter how well you play your instrument. The important thing is you listen to others' performances and try your best to help each other."
As for Hu, he not only wants to deliver the message that "music is a valuable and enjoyable aspect of life" but also hopes to "produce a new generation of musical ambassadors for the world".
Hu has had the idea of the summer camp and the orchestra for China's music learners for a long time.
His inspiration came from music projects such as El Sistema, the internationally celebrated program from Venezuela, which brings impoverished youth into musical ensembles to enrich their lives and promote social mobility.
"I want to make the project go beyond music. It's about self-realization, self-confidence and more," says Hu.
"By giving the young attendees the experience of learning and performing together in an orchestra, this project instills the values of tolerance, respect, discipline and compassion in the budding musicians," he says in the mission statement for the project.
