Following the resounding success of its first study tour to the United Kingdom during the 2025 Spring Festival, The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao once again embarked on a journey to Europe from 20th February to 2nd March 2026. Faculty and students traveled to the United Kingdom and Denmark for an 11-day study and exchange tour.
The group not only returned to its sister school—The Yehudi Menuhin School UK—for immersive learning, but also visited prestigious international institutions including the University of Cambridge, the Royal College of Music (RCM), the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD), and the Royal Danish Academy of Music (DKDM). They delivered three high-profile performances at London's iconic King's Place, the Mansion House of the City of London, and the China Cultural Centre in Copenhagen, generating enthusiastic responses. Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily Online, the official website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as mainstream media in the UK and Denmark including the European Times, all covered the events and offered high praise.
Young Artists' Technical Brilliance Earns International Acclaim
Returning once again to The Yehudi Menuhin School UK, founded by the legendary Yehudi Menuhin himself, the students eagerly absorbed artistic nourishment. They received personal guidance from numerous musicians and educators, achieving rapid improvement in their professional skills while further deepening their international perspective and cross-cultural understanding. The students' performances lived up to expectations. Nurtured by the shared musical pedagogy of the two sister schools, they demonstrated a solid professional foundation that earned full affirmation from all their instructors. Furthermore, the Cambridge English courses offered daily at The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao, combined with specialized English training for music studies within the comprehensive musicianship curriculum, enabled the students to navigate all-English professional courses with ease. Students from both schools studied, rehearsed, performed, and interacted together, while faculty exchanged teaching methods and shared educational insights, forging deep and lasting friendships.
Direct Access to Top Institutions, Envisioning Their Future Selves
Visits to various prestigious universities allowed students to directly experience the extraordinary charm of the world's most renowned academic and music institutions. This not only inspired grand ambitions but also, through in-depth understanding of these universities' curricula, training systems, and selection criteria, led them to fully recognize that the educational system at The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao aligns perfectly with these institutions, a realization that further bolstered their confidence. These universities have long recognized the teaching quality of The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao and its graduates; some have already established their sole examination centre in China at the school, while others have successively admitted numerous students from the institution. For example, representatives from the Royal College of Music (RCM) not only provided detailed introductions to their undergraduate programs but also warmly welcomed the students to become members of RCM. Both the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) and the Royal Danish Academy of Music (DKDM) arranged specialized masterclasses for the students. All of this provided the students with a clear vision of their future growth and further solidified their confidence to step onto the world stage.
Spanning Vast Distances, Building International Friendships Through Music
The highlight of the tour, alongside learning and visits, was the spotlight on the international stage. Faculty and students of the delegation first presented the "Echoes of Tang Poetry" Spring Festival concert at London's iconic King's Place for dignitaries from the political, business, cultural, arts, and educational sectors of China and the UK, as well as local audiences, achieving great success. Zheng Zeguang, China's Ambassador to the UK, who has consistently followed the Menuhin schools, attended the concert and delivered a speech. He highly praised the event, stating that it has "promoted cultural exchange and people-to-people cooperation between China and the UK, allowing the peoples of both countries to deepen understanding and bridge distances through artistic and cultural interaction," further inspiring the Menuhin faculty and students in their role as international cultural ambassadors.
The performance at the Mansion House of the City of London on 27th February marked the second time Principal Lu Siqing led students onto this stage. As a continuation of the "China-UK Charity" initiative, they delivered a splendid performance blending Chinese and Western elements. Among the attendees were Minister Wang Qi of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, former Lord Mayor of the City of London Sir Charles Bowman, Chair of the China-Britain Business Centre John McLean, and Chair of the Board of Governors of The Yehudi Menuhin School UK David Buckley.
In Denmark, the group was invited by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the China Cultural Centre in Copenhagen to serve as "Eastern Envoys," presenting the moving music and Spring Festival greetings of young Chinese musicians to Nordic audiences. Attendees included more than a hundred guests, among them Ms. Su Liya, Chargée d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark, representatives from Danish political and cultural circles, overseas Chinese dignitaries, and local audience members.
The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao expresses its gratitude to The Yehudi Menuhin School UK and all parties in China, the UK, and Denmark for their meticulous arrangements, which ensured the complete success of this European study tour. This journey serves as a contemporary interpretation of Yehudi Menuhin's spirit of "connecting humanity through music." Following the study tour, Jonathan Benthall, husband of Menuhin's daughter Zamira Menuhin Benthall, wrote to David Buckley, Chair of the Board of Governors of The Yehudi Menuhin School UK, saying, "If Yehudi Menuhin were still alive, he would be overjoyed by the close connection the school has forged with China." As the young Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao continues to achieve outstanding educational results, its young students are consistently stepping onto the world stage, becoming steadfast ambassadors of culture, art, and friendship between nations.
As Principal Lu Siqing stated during the study tour: "We use music to engage in a dialogue that transcends borders, composing unique and moving artistic chapters. What we are doing is not only cultivating excellent musicians but also building bridges of friendship and understanding between different countries and cultures."