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| Sunday, November 8, 2026. 3:00 PM World Artists Experiencesin Partnership with The EMBASSY of the PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC of CHINA |
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| Shared Beauty: a lecture and demonstration comparing Eastern and Western painting traditions |
| Grounded in the perspective of mutual learning between Eastern and Western artistic civilizations, this lecture systematically compares the core differences and unique artistic strengths of Chinese painting and oil painting across aesthetic philosophies, creative mindsets, brushwork and color, perspective and composition, material techniques, and artistic mood expression. The lecture illustrates that these two art forms are not opposing forces, but rather avenues for mutual learning, integration, and coexistence. The session aims to guide audiences toward an understanding of traditional brush-and-ink heritage alongside global contemporary aesthetics, broadening artistic horizons, elevating aesthetic literacy, and empowering traditional art to innovate while preserving its roots—fostering shared beauty and two-way integration between Chinese and foreign arts. |
 Zhai You graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Jiangsu Teachers University of Technology (now the School of Art, Jiangsu University of Technology). He serves as Deputy Secretary-General of the China Society of Chinese Painting, President of the Jiangsu Chinese Painting Society, Honorary President of the China Society of Chinese Painting (USA), Distinguished Researcher at the Chinese Painting Research Institute of Southeast University, Distinguished Professor at Jiangsu Maritime Institute. His works are permanently collected by prominent institutions and international venues including the Grace Museum (USA), the USS Hornet Sea, the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking (Mexico), the Mexicali Museum of Fine Arts (Mexico), the Maple Country Art Museum (Canada), in Bordeaux, France. |
| Fan Lei, a visiting scholar at the China National Academy of Painting, is a mentor at the Art Training Center of the Chinese Academy of Art, and Executive Director of the Jiangus Chinese Painting Society who is deeply dedicated to meticulous bird and flower painting will demonstrate throughout the lecture. She has won numerous awards at national art exhibitions hosted by the China Arts Association. Her artistic footprint spans across China and abroad. Her works have been exhibited on major international Art platforms in New York Paris, Bordeau, St. Petersburg, Osaka Bermuda, and Canada. |
| ANNAPOLIS Sunday, November 8, 2026. 3:00 PM. Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library1410 West Street, Annapolis, MD Free event. First come, first seated. Donations appreciated. |
- AUGUST 16-28, Magic Streams, from Estonia. This is a live event – scroll down for more information
Please scroll down for more information on these events.
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AUGUST 16-28 LIVE: ESTONIA MAGIC STRINGS
August 21 7 pm
First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis
171 Duke of Gloucester St.
Annapolis, MD
August 25 7 pm
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
461 College Parkway
Arnold, MD.
VIOLIN ENSEMBLE MAGIC STRINGS
Magic Strings was born in 2012 inside the Music School of the Old Town School of Tallinn, where violin teacher Tereza Šmerling’s students started playing together and never quite stopped. What began as a classroom idea has since taken 30 young musicians to the Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, and a basilica in Florence.
The ensemble today brings together 29 young musicians, accompanied on piano by Karin Suss. Their repertoire refuses to stay in one lane. Classical, folk, film music, contemporary works, sometimes all in the same concert. They play baby concerts and gala performances with equal commitment, and audiences tend to notice the difference.
In Estonia, Magic Strings has performed at the Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn Town Hall Square, Kadriorg Palace, and the Seaplane Harbour, with televised concerts on Estonian National Broadcast charity projects including Christmas Channel and Lullaby to the Polar Bear.
Beyond Estonia, the ensemble has toured across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, with performances at the Sydney Estonian Days, the Austral-Asia Suzuki Convention in Bali, and international festivals in Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Greece, Latvia, Finland, Indonesia, and beyond.
The ensemble’s trio of Ingmar Kiviloo, Karoliina Kuppart, and Ursula Melsas has collected top prizes in Finland, Russia, and France. Several members are also laureates of the Tallinn Talent competition and other international contests.
In recent years Magic Strings has expanded into studio recordings and music video productions. The ensemble keeps growing, keeps travelling, and keeps finding new audiences to play.
Magic Strings has performed in:
- the Ukrainian support concert “The World That Remains for Us” broadcast by Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR),
- the grand finale of the European Student Company Competition at the Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam),
- the Pikk Street Festival,
- the Duck Race (Pardiralli) fundraisers gala in Kadriorg Palace Park,
- the charity TV show Christmas Tunnel (Jõulutunnel),
- Telia’s Mother’s Day concert on Town Hall Square,
- the Father’s Day concert at Estonia Concert Hall (broadcast on ETV),
- the HeadRead literary festival,
- various Tallinn district events, and many more.
They have also held concert tours such as “Me Too” (Nordea Concert Hall, Vanemuine Theatre, Pärnu Concert Hall), the Disney gala “Beyond Seven Mountains and Seas” (Nordea), and performed at the Estonian Education and Culture Congress at Estonia Concert Hall. Since 2016, they’ve organized the “Lullaby for a Polar Bear” charity project in Tallinn Zoo during the first week of September. They have also regularly brought joy to the elderly in retirement homes across Estonia.
These are just a few highlights of the many events that the violin ensemble has participated in—some as regular traditions, others as one-time special occasions. The ensemble’s record year was 2018, with 70 concerts performed in various formations.
Competitions and Achievements
The ensemble’s trio (Ingmar Kiviloo, Karoliina Kuppart, Ursula Melsas) has been successful in several international competitions:
- Finland: Sibelius Competition – 1st place
- Russia (Moscow): Gnessin Competition – 3rd place
- France 2021: 1st place – International Youth Music Competition Nouvelles Etoiles
Several soloists in the ensemble are laureates of the Tallinn Talent competition (Aurora Elise Varema, Heimar Melsas, Sofia Troitskaja, Zara Durrani, Pärli Peäske, Karoliina Kuppart, Ingmar Kiviloo — and the ensemble itself in 2024), and prizewinners in other international competitions.
On October 13, 2019, four students performed as soloists with the ERSO chamber ensemble Ensemble Entr’Acte in the White Hall of the House of the Blackheads, performing complex virtuoso pieces.
Concert Tour
TOURED THROUGHOUT EUROPE and US.
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TO BE ANNOUNCED:
NIGERIA’S BEAUTY OF MUSIC