Beyond the Score: A Master Class with Lior Shambadal
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei, Ow Jackie. Edited by Arina Yakupova. Reported by Arina Yakupova. Subtitles by Arina Yakupova.
Inside the hall of the Shanghai Children's Palace, the atmosphere was focused but full of quiet anticipation. A group of students from Shanghai No. 3 High School for Girls were getting ready for an afternoon rehearsal.
They were playing for Maestro Lior Shambadal, the Israeli-born conductor best known for his tenure with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. He was offering a master class that's about much more than technique.
The girls rehearsed works by Grieg and Tchaikovsky – two composers from different centuries, different countries. But here, their music became a shared language. The focus wasn't on perfecting every note. It was about listening, responding, and learning to speak through sound.
Arina Yakupova and Maestro Lior Shambadal
"For me, music is both science and love," said Shambadal. "Science gives us the structure. But love, that's where meaning begins."
He spoke to the students not only about tone and rhythm, but also about discipline, responsibility and what it means to be part of an ensemble.
In the process, the rehearsal became a conversation, not between teacher and students, but between generations, cultures, and hearts.
"Not all of them will become musicians," Shambadal reflected. "But music will stay with them. It teaches them how to be human."
