Western classical music and Chinese musical heritage blend in perfect harmony.

Music, like culture, evolves, drawing inspiration from the spirit of the times, and the past. Through his immersion in Chinese literary classics and folk tunes, American composer Niccolo Athens of the Tianjin Juilliard School hopes to introduce his love of Chinese culture to a wider audience. Shen Li finds out what led him on this music-making journey.

For American composer Niccolo Athens, this is the most natural way to create, combining his love of music with a deep interest in China.

The 34-year-old Athens now teaches composition at the Tianjin Juilliard School, a branch campus of the Juilliard School in New York. And he's been pushing the limits of western classical music by mixing the rich sonorities and compelling melodies of Chinese music, and the country’s cultural legacy.

Among his many compositions, "Three Settings from the Book of Odes" is probably one of the most challenging.

Mixing the guzheng, or Chinese plucked zither, with a chamber music setting, the piece was inspired by "Shi Jing," a text that is considered to be oldest existing example of Chinese poetry as it dates back over 2,500 years.

During an interview with The Vibe, Athens said the most interesting thing about "Book of Odes" is how it feels familiar and yet foreign at the same time, due to the combination of different styles and sections. "I get a similar sense sometimes (from) reading things, or the sort of foundational things from western literature, some aspects are very recognizably human and other things in it just seem so alien in a sort of enchanting and interesting way," he said.

Athens has been absorbing the legacy of Chinese culture and incorporating it into his music for quite a few years. 

In fact, many of the classical repertoires from the West bear strong Chinese influences. The most notable of these include Puccini’s "Turandot," and composer John Cage's take on "I Ching, the Book of Changes," an ancient Chinese divination text.  

Athens said although the two composers approach the subject differently, the cultural resonance in their music is palpable.

Athens' musical journey began in San Antonio, Texas, where he was born and raised. 

There, he showed a talent for music at an early age and went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.  

In his fourth year there, he began taking Chinese lessons. This led to him making plans to further his studies in China.  

Like many people, he was deeply impressed by director Ang Lee's Oscar-winning movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the mystical Middle Kingdom it portrayed.  

"That movie sort of expanded my idea of what is encompassed by China," Athens said. 

When he is not composing, he likes to travel around China, not necessarily seeking musical inspiration, but to immerse himself in the vastness of the country’s landscapes and cultures. 

Some of those experiences are reflected in his music, where centuries-old folk tunes get a modern twist. Sometimes audiences can almost feel a hint of jazz. 

In "Folk Song Serenade," a piece that was commissioned for the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble, Athens chose three lesser-known but still melodious folk songs from eastern China's Zhejiang and arranged them in the style of chamber music.

Now with Chinese literary classics and reimagined folk songs under his belt, Athens is eager to delve deeper into China's rich cultural heritage. He's now looking into the "300 Tang Poems," which is often considered the pinnacle of Chinese poetry.  

He revealed that he would like to write some music around the theme of homesickness, because when he was reading through this tome, this was a recurring theme that resonated with him, especially as he has not been able to get back to the U.S. much lately. 

Through his music and creativity, Athens hopes to eventually build bridges of understanding and strike a perfect chord between east and west.