Civility and Common Ground Start With Music

Amazing how sports and the arts — music this week — can bridge cultural divides. Both help strengthen ties between countries. They nourish cultural understanding and appreciation. These kinds of visits can pave the way for multilateral trust.

Consider two cases in point that drew attention last week, when thinking of music.

First, the New York Philharmonic ventured to North Korea — a trip that was covered heavily in just about every major newspaper in the U.S. The trip broke new ground in that the orchestra traveled to so-called hostile territory. But this is ground that’s been covered in the past, and recently. Why? Because the arts, and sports (think about soccer’s growing world appeal), often tear down the walls between us.

Consider a second example: As reported this week in the DC Examiner, the Chinese minister and DCM Xie Feng hosted a dinner and recital at his Kalorama residence in our capital city, featuring Chinese cello virtuoso Wang Jian. Jian (Wang in English), who once played for famed violinist Isaac Stern, came to the nation’s capital to perform at Sidney Harman Hall.

What does this teach us? Such interactions — whether sports or the arts —strengthen trust between cultures, even if it’s in the smallest of ways. These exchanges can eliminate tensions in politics, build friendship and help find common ground, something I work on through the Institute for Education’s Civility program.

Jian’s Washington performance underscores the importance of cultural appreciation and creates another venue to improve the U.S./China relationship outside the political table.

More background on Jian: When he was 10 years old, he had a role in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film “Mao to Mozart.” He was at the Shanghai Conservatory playing for Stern. In 1979, Stern was one of the first Western musicians to visit China after the Cultural Revolution. Linda Stern, Isaac’s widow, attended the recital at the Chinese residence this week.

Two examples in one week. And more to come. Slowly but surely we’re making progress in finding common ground.