FaceArt Institute of Music (FAIM) is a high-end music training institute that connects students with world renowned musicians and educators. In the last 11 years, FaceArt students have won over 400 international competitions and sent many students to the top conservatories and universities abroad, including Stanford, Yale, NYU, UC Berkeley, John Hopkins, Juilliard, and more.

From August 13 to 27, FaceArt is hosting a summer camp session which culminates in a full-day performance and exhibition event on August 27. Combing music, art, and technology, FaceArt is offering package deals for students, which combine one-on-one Masterclass lessons (in piano, violin, percussion, vocal performance, composition, jazz Improvisation, and song-writing) with a guest lecture series from visiting musicians, composers, and academics. New and available this year is their ERMu Labs department, which is hosting two workshop session exploring XR and A.I. They're offering a couple package deals which include this element as well and are Ideal for students interested in the intersections of art, environmental activism, and technology.

For more details on the package specifics, check out this link here. (www.faceart.info)

SmartShanghai got in touch with FaceArt to find out more about their summer camp, the full-day performance event on August 27, and their new art and technology workshops.

SmSh: What sorts of kids are taking your programs in terms of age and musical ability?

FaceArt: The majority of our students are looking to study abroad, and enter top conservatory university music programs and preparatory programs. We accept students of all ages, including students who have already graduated from university, but are looking to continue their education.

We have students across a spectrum of musical abilities, since our lessons are one-on-one, we can ensure each student receives a personally tailored education.

Our Summer Festival offers programs like the XR Workshop which are perfect for students who are just getting ready to embark on their musical journey.

Stanford University Composition and Theory Faculty Dr. François Rose

SmSh: What is the breakdown in terms of scheduling and time commitment on the part of the students?

FaceArt: For individual lessons we work with the instructors and students to create a schedule that accommodates everyone.

If students are unable to attend the guest lectures, they are recorded and will be provided for the students to watch once they have time.

Practice time and individual time spent for installation or performance prep is left at the discretion of the student. For students who are especially busy, they can sign up for the "Performance Only Package" and prepare their performance on their own time.

SmSh: You've been running the school and camp for over ten years but this year, you have a new department: the ERMu Labs. Can you introduce that and talk about what sorts of things the students will be doing in connection with it?

FaceArt: ERMu Labs （耳目Labs）is our new department, run by Jacob Charles. It focuses on art that connects visuals and sounds, and explores new technologies related to XR (extended reality) and interactivity.

This Summer Festival we will be launching two new projects by ERMu Labs, the #findMoGu app and the FaceArt Virtual Concert Hall.

In the XR Workshop students will become the first users to explore the #findMogu app, an AR (augmented reality) app. In this app, students can create their own virtual Mogu (mushrooms) and via printing QR code stickers, they can place them in the real world for people to find and collect. This project's goal is to bring awareness of earth conservation, including soil degradation and mushroom research, a topic very dear to the famous composer, John Cage, for whom this year's festival is dedicated.

We will also have the Grand Opening of the FaceArt Virtual Concert Hall. Students and audience members will be able to log-in to the fully 3D interactive world to experience all of the Summer Festival artworks, installations and performances.

Lia Wei, a contemporary ink artist and archeologist, is creating a fully interactive installation with the collaboration of Jacob Charles. This interactive installation will be built inside of the FaceArt Virtual Concert Hall so students can interact with and explore the work together.

We don't want to give away too much, but there will be mystical creatures, magical castles and hidden doorways to explore!

Photograph by Irving Penn / © 1947 (Renewed 1975) Condé Nast Publications Inc.
Cage preparing a piano, in 1947.

SmSh: The camp culminates is a full-day performance by the students on August 27. This year's theme of the exhibition is "Vibrations of the Earth". Can you introduce that and talk about what's going to happen? Also, is it an in-person event or online (or both)?

FaceArt: Yes, we will be running the August 27th event at the Shangyin Opera House in parallel with Virtual Experience and live broadcast of the performances in the FaceArt Virtual Concert Hall. It is a full day event, with six concerts curated by a resident faculty, and a final evening concert by guest curator Sean Tan. Concerts will range from Classical music to contemporary and experimental performances.

The space at Shangyin Opera House will be organized like a gallery, so audience members can walk around and explore all of the installations while simultaneously listening to the live performances.

All of the performances and installations will have virtual counterparts in the FaceArt Virtual Concert Hall.

This year's festival and theme "Vibrations of the Earth" is dedicated to the world renowned composer John Cage. John Cage was a composer who embraced the sounds and indeterminacy of everyday life. He was also a keen mushroom enthusiast. This year will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth and 30th anniversary of his passing.

SmSh: Going back to the program, one of the highlights of your program is the guest lecture series. Can you pick two and introduce the speaker and talk about what they're planning to present?

FaceArt: From Stanford University Composition and Theory Faculty, we have Dr. François Rose doing a lecture called "Decoding Anime". The lecture aims at decoding the expressive power of anime by applying a method of multimedia analysis that focuses on the interaction between its component elements: story, image, music, and Japanese aesthetics.

Dr. François Rose's music has been performed in cities throughout Europe, Australia, North and South America. He is continues his work on the development of a computerized orchestration aid. He is also the co-author of the Gagaku Project a website devoted to the orchestration technique in Japanese music.

From the Manhattan School of Music, we have Richard Sussman who will be running an Electronic Music Production Workshop.

The mentor of many grammy nominees and winners, Richard Sussman is an accomplished jazz pianist, composer, music technologist, and educator. Richard's large-scale jazz and orchestral compositions have been performed by the Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, the Metropole Orchestra, the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, and the American Composers Orchestra, to name a few. He was selected to be a participant in the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute, sponsored by the American Composers Orchestra, in August 2012, and was subsequently selected to compose a new composition for orchestra which was premiered by the ACO in June, 2013.

Manhattan School of Music Jazz and Electronic Music Faculty Richard Sussman

Richard Sussman is a skilled and experienced clinician, and is available for master classes and residencies in the areas of jazz composition, arranging, theory, improvisation, and many areas of music technology, including film scoring.

SmSh: What sorts of skills, experiences, and / or ideas are you hoping students come away with after finishing the camp?

FaceArt: We encourage students to develop a holistic understanding of music and explore multiple disciplines. We find students make great strides in their practice when they step outside and experience music and art from another perspective. This is a key goal for our students and the festival.

The Summer Festival also offers a great opportunity for students to share talents with others, while getting the opportunity to engage with some of the world's top artists and educators.

****