Chapter 96: Global Lecture Tour
Chapter 96: Global Lecture Tour
Translator: Min Lee Editor: Tennesh
Fang Zhao's lecture at Muzhou Music Academy was a huge success. You could judge from the number of web hits.
The president of the academy was smiling so broadly his creases deepened. He was cocky about his wise decision. After the lecture, at least 10 percent if not half of the global music-student community was now interested in symphonic genres. People who tuned in were also exposed to the name "Muzhou Music Academy." That was the biggest achievement.
Still, time was limited. There was only so much Fang Zhao could cover in one lecture. Many viewers hadn't gotten their fix when the lecture ended.
The president started brainstorming about how he could work with Fang Zhao again. Didn't he need a recording studio? "The academy has a recording studio. That would spare you the queue at Odd Music. We'll prepare the best recording studio for you."
But others had the same idea. The chief executive of Odd Music had already extended an invitation in person.
The Odd Music CEO responded to the president's offer with a casual laugh. "Old friend, why don't you save that outdated equipment for your students. For a professional recording, you'll need to come to Odd Music. Let's put it this way: the best recording equipment in all of Muzhou is at Odd Music. Didn't you bring your own granddaughter to record here on account of our new equipment? Don't fight me on this one."
The Odd Music CEO said that, as long as Fang Zhao was willing, he could offer him a recording studio for free right away. While the official word was that their studios were fully booked, the company reserved two studios for internal use in case of emergencies. They were equipped with the best gear.
The Odd Music CEO was quite enthusiastic and very polite. He also offered many perks. Fang Zhao had no reason to refuse.
"Have you contacted Teacher Fang from the symphony? If not, we can recommend a few alternatives," the smiling chief executive said.
Among the attendees of Fang Zhao's lecture were several key members of Muzhou's major symphonies. They had been waiting to approach Fang Zhao since the end of the lecture. When the Odd Music CEO made his comment, the small group, whose ears were already perked, pounced to pitch their own symphonies.
Musical tastes were not as sophisticated in Muzhou compared to Leizhou. There were few symphony orchestras and none of them had a global reputation. That was why every one of their collaborations with world-renowned master musicians was hard earned. With Fang Zhao's visit, the few major orchestras went at it again. Given that symphonies were gaining popularity among youngsters again and that Fang Zhao was a key figure behind this renaissance, this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
The Odd Music boss stood silently nearby and ignored the imploring looks from the folks that crowded over. He just stood and smiled, waiting for Fang Zhao to respond. Saying too much would come off as sycophantic and backfire. He had secured his deal. Everything else could wait.
Fang Zhao scanned the folks who had rushed forward to tout their services. Some of them were leaders of their orchestras. Others were first chairs of their respective sections.
"What's the name of your orchestra? How big is the orchestra? What's the latest?" Fang Zhao zoomed in on of the people in the crowd.
"I'm Daller, the leader of Soundcloud Philharmonic. I'm also first violin. Our orchestra is 10 years old. We have 80 musicians."
Daller passionately gave Fang Zhao the lowdown on his orchestra. Soundcloud was one of the larger orchestras in Qingcheng. Now that symphonic music was more popular, he wanted to recruit more musicians. All these years, they had never worked with a master. It wasn't a matter of quality. The few large orchestras in Muzhou were comparable in skill, but things just never came together for Soundcloud. Lo and behold, he had been called on by Fang Zhao this time. Of course he would make a hard sell.