ATLANTA, the United States, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Nestled in the heart of Atlanta, the Carter Center witnessed on a serene evening a meeting of music and ink paintings, intertwined in a moment of cross-cultural resonance.
Centered on the concept "Sound as a Bridge: Cross-Cultural Dialogue," the concert, accompanied by an exhibition of ink paintings by Chinese contemporary artist Wu Limin, kicked off the two-day Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations 2026 on Thursday.
Soprano Qiu Shuwei from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and U.S. pianist Zachary Deak performed art songs in four languages -- Chinese, English, French and Italian. Above the stage, a multimedia screen displayed Wu's expressive ink paintings, infusing the music with a distinctive Eastern aesthetic.
The interweaving of sound and image offered the audience a synesthetic artistic experience, in which music could be "seen" and painting could be "heard."
According to Qiu, this marked the first time she had presented a concert with Wu's ink paintings as a visual backdrop on a U.S. stage, and the fourth such collaboration overall, following earlier performances in southeastern China.
Qiu told Xinhua that the repertoire was more classical and more cross-disciplinary, featuring Italian operatic arias, French art songs, British and American vocal works, as well as two art songs inspired by ancient Chinese poetry.
The program, she said, was designed to allow audiences to experience how music transcends linguistic boundaries and fosters connection.
In such an audiovisual dialogue, music reshapes how audiences perceive paintings, and as perceptions of the artwork shift, the music itself seems to transform in response, pianist Deak told Xinhua in an interview.
"So there's this unspoken dialogue that occurs, and it works both ways: They're both able to express things that words cannot," Deak said, noting that he hopes to continue performing with Chinese musicians.
"There's much collaboration between Chinese musicians and American musicians, and I think it's essential that this continues; it creates dialogue." Deak said, "The music belongs to all of us ... There are cultural differences, but it's wonderful to discover that. It's wonderful to learn."
Jan Berris, an 81-year-old attendee from New York, told Xinhua that she believes music and art elevate emotional and inner experiences and the concert offered her a double enjoyment. "Everyone was excellent at their craft."
Wu, aged 86, now lives in Hangzhou and didn't attend the concert in person. He shared this reflection previously: "The encounter of ink paintings and music creates a spiritual exchange across time and space -- it is art's gentlest form of dialogue."
The concert, jointly organized by the Carter Center and the U.S. Asian Cultural Academy based in Washington, D.C., drew an audience of around 100 people.
Hosted alternatively in China and the United States, the Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations has fostered open communication among former diplomats, academics and other experts since 2012, according to the organizers. ■