Visions in the making of a Tanglewood on the Pearl River Delta

Every summer, young classical music students from around the world descend on Tanglewood in the US and Verbier in Switzerland to hone their skills, play with renowned professionals and have a bit of fun.

The Canton International Summer Music Academy (Cisma) hopes to do the same for Asia. It may take a few years yet. On the eve of Cisma's opening performance, construction workers are still pouring concrete into the concert hall.

'They told us a week ago that we must play an opening concert and many of the performers are just getting off the plane,' says the director of Cisma's chamber-music faculty, Chantal Juillet.

'In the west, we would only play if we were absolutely ready,' she says. 'While I was conducting auditions for Cisma throughout China, some of the students came along after hearing about it, seconds before, in the hallway at school. They grabbed their instruments, walked in and asked to play. There's something very refreshing about this.'

As with similar academies in the west, one of Cisma's selling points is its staff. The academy has engaged Charles Dutoit, who has been a music director with top US orchestras in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Also on staff are Lo King-man, former director of administration at the HKAPA, conductor Long Yu, and musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Geneva Conservatory, the Royal Concert-gebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.