Time To Say Goodbye To Maria Nauen And Catch Her Final Concert

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Maria

Nauen

Born in Russia into an artistic family to parents who paint, Maria Nauen grew up among famous Russian musicians, artists and actors – this affected her life dramatically. At just ten years old, inspired by her amazing music teacher, Zinaida Bespalova, Nauen decided to be a musician.

She went on to receive her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in performance and music teaching in both Russia and Austria. Aside from working as a music teacher, orchestra conductor, and concert violinist, Nauen has also authored three books: Adventure in the Kingdom of Music (1 & 2), as well as Skeletons from the Frau Nauen's Cabinet.

Nauen is the founder of the Beijing International Chamber Orchestra and MaNau Bijoux. She is also the happy wife of Achim Nauen and mother of Anastasia, who is a successful fashion designer in Germany.

What’s on your mind these days?

Now, just a few days before my departure, I am looking back on all 16 years of my life in Beijing, and I realize that I have had extremely happy years. I have been happy and lucky – because life in China gave me millions of incredible opportunities in my professional and private life. I was able to build up the first and now the biggest international music community – the Beijing International Chamber Orchestra – as well as my very own handcrafted bijouterie brand, MaNau Bijoux.

I’ve also met many incredible people who became my friends. And I had a chance to travel around all of Asia and all this has made my 16 years living in China unforgettable.

What motivated your decision to leave?

I thought that I'd never leave China because it became my home, but in the last couple of years I realized that my artistic soul needs a change and it's time to move on. My husband and I are going back to Austria, where we used to live before coming to China. That big change might bring to me new inspirations because Austria, as we all know, is the Land of Music. I'm looking forward to starting the new chapter of my life, but of course I'll miss China badly! I have to leave my "baby," the Beijing International Chamber Orchestra, and find a new conductor who will be my "hands" here.

How do you stay sane in all the madness?

I think artists have more chances to go through all the madness (social, political, private, professional crises, etc.) easier than people of other professions because artists are always finding ways to express ourselves. Art and music helped me to get through the last three years of the pandemic. When I couldn't perform onstage, I started to compose music and create bijouterie. And of course without my husband, my friends and my darling ol’ dog Nunka (she's almost 16 years old!), it would have been more difficult to get through the pandemic madness.

What is your favourite thing about Beijing that you’re going to miss the most?

It's my orchestra, my "baby," the Beijing International Chamber Orchestra – these are 55 of my dearest friends, with whom I have had an amazing 16 years in China. But of course, there are also things like waimai, Taobao, Didi, NCPA concerts, WeChat, Chaoyang Park walks, and even being called "laowai" will be missed too.

After spending 16 years living and performing in China, Nauen will be leaving this very month! If you have yet to catch Nauen in action, you thankfully still have one more chance this weekend at her Farewell concert. 

The Farewell concert features the masterpieces of some of the most loved composers – Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Khatchaturyan, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, and Dunaevsky. But in order not to end this farewell on a sad note, there will be exciting tunes from famous movies and musicals, such as Titanic, The Lion King, Mission Impossible, James Bond, and the gorgeous Phantom of the Opera. Plus, you can look forward to a surprise at the end!

To purchase tickets, please open the link: https://yoopay.cn/event/farewell or scan the QR code in the poster.

Images: Courtesy of Maria Nauen

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