UNM’s Abe Franck String Quartet completes first residency at China’s Zhejiang Conservatory

Four University of New Mexico musicians recently boarded a plane for China and returned home 11 days later. They were the graduate students who comprise The Abe Franck String Quartet: Lorenzo Gallegos, Dongqi Zhou, Andre Silva and Penelope Teixeira.

The Abe Franck String Quartet is The University of New Mexico's flagship graduate chamber ensemble, based in the UNM Department of Music, College of Fine Arts.

In March, they spent 10 days immersed in one of the world's most rigorous musical environments, performing alongside Chinese peers, studying with world-renowned faculty and laying the groundwork for an ongoing student exchange between the two institutions.

The residency, titled Bridges in Sound: Abe Franck String Quartet in China, took place March 11-21 and was hosted by the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music (ZJCM) in Hangzhou. The conservatory is ranked among China's top three conservatories. The quartet also participated in a masterclass at the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music, giving UNM a rare foothold in two of China's most celebrated institutions in a single trip.

For the UNM Department of Music, this was not simply a study abroad trip. It was the first major fruit of a formal exchange and cooperation agreement initiated by UNM faculty member Christoph Wagner, assistant professor of cello and head of strings.

Wagner and his UNM colleague Carlos de los Santos, professor of violin, signed the agreement in Dec. 2025. It will open doors for all College of Fine Arts students to study abroad at ZJCM, and for ZJCM students to come to UNM.

Bridges in Sound is proof that the partnership is alive, productive and capable of producing significant opportunities for CFA students.

A Gala Concert, a Shared Language, and the Mendelssohn Octet

The centerpiece of the residency was a formal gala concert March 18 featuring Strings and Songs in Harmony (弦歌共话), a UNM and ZJCM Chamber Music Exchange Night, which was held in the Zhejiang Conservatory's main concert hall before a full audience.

The Abe Franck String Quartet opened with Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110, performed on their own. They were then joined by a ZJCM string quartet for a joint performance of Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20. The evening culminated in the encore, when the combined ensemble performed a traditional Chinese piece, a spontaneous realization of everything the residency set out to achieve.

The Mendelssohn Octet required the two ensembles, separated by language, culture and musical tradition, to perform as one. They succeeded.

"Even when we did not speak the same language, collaboration felt natural because music became our main form of communication. In the end, what truly mattered was the music itself," said Penelope Teixeira, the Abe Franck String Quartet's cellist.

Andre Silva, the quartet's violist, described the concert hall itself as a revelation. "Performing in a hall with such formidable acoustics was among the best I have ever experienced. It allowed our ensemble to reach a new level of expression," he said. "This experience has solidified my professional goals. I am now certain that performing chamber music and connecting with global audiences is my lifelong path."

Coaching at the Highest Level

Beyond the concert stage, the quartet engaged in four masterclasses with world-class ZJCM faculty, sessions that students described as among the most demanding and instructive of their academic careers. Wagner accompanied the quartet and led an international guest masterclass, bringing UNM's own pedagogical tradition to Chinese soil.

The coaching philosophy at ZJCM left a lasting impression on first violinist Lorenzo Gallegos, who shared, "The expectation was not a gradual improvement, but immediate alignment with a clearly defined musical result. That shift in standard has had a direct impact on how I approach practice, rehearsal and ensemble collaboration moving forward."

"The expectation was not a gradual improvement, but immediate alignment with a clearly defined musical result. That shift in standard has had a direct impact on how I approach practice, rehearsal and ensemble collaboration moving forward."

- Lorenzo Gallegos

Gallegos described a coaching environment where feedback was "not conceptual or aspirational, it was operational," with faculty isolating specific technical issues, such as contact point, bow distribution, articulation alignment and requiring them to be corrected in real time.

"While my training at UNM has established an important foundation, the ZJCM environment revealed that my default standard of preparation and responsiveness can be pushed significantly further," he added.

Dongqi Zhou, second violin, noted how the experience reshaped her understanding of ensemble communication, stating, "I became more aware of the importance of non-verbal communication, like eye contact, breathing and gestures, to create a cohesive performance. Their feedback helped me think differently about phrasing, tone and musical structure."

A Partnership That Transforms Students

UNM faculty see the residency as a landmark milestone for UNM Music's international standing. They note that the agreement is not merely a memorandum of understanding gathering dust in a filing cabinet; it is a living exchange that sends students to one of the world's most elite conservatory environments and brings prestige and global credibility back to UNM and the greater Albuquerque community.

"This residency deeply enriched my education at the University of New Mexico. Traveling to China was something I never expected to experience, and having this opportunity supported by the university was incredibly meaningful," said Teixeira.

Silva reflected that "This trip has not only enriched my education at UNM but has also broadened my perspective on the power of international cultural exchange."

For Zhou, the trip ignited a new professional ambition. "It has broadened my perspective and made me more interested in pursuing international collaborations in the future," she said.

An Open Invitation: Every UNM Student Can Go

Future participants will gain direct immersion in China's most competitive conservatory culture, access to world-renowned faculty, experience on a prestigious international stage and professional networks that span continents.

The quartet's trip was supported by the UNM Music Department, the College of Fine Arts, and the UNM Global Education Office.

To learn more about the program, visit their brochure.

For more information about the UNM and ZJCM exchange program, contact Wagner at [email protected].