The Shanghai International Youth Orchestra is warming up. The sound is a familiar chaos to Ms. Liu—a cacophony of scales, the thump of a bass line, the lyrical sigh of a flute finding its pitch. She moves through it all not as a performer, but as a force of calm. Her hands, adorned only with a simple silver ring, are constantly in motion: straightening a stack of sheet music, typing a last-minute email, gently guiding a nervous cellist towards their seat. Ms. Liu is the orche

“My teacher couldn’t give it to me. Only my students could.” Vitalii Kuzovkov grew up in Chelyabinsk, Russia - in his words, a “working...

“If they cut off both hands, I will compose music anyway, holding the pen in my teeth…” said Shostakovich. Minneapolis, MN, United States...