It’s China’s century to lose, according to nearly every newsmagazine and commentator, but much of the country’s projected economic and military dominance is still years, even decades away from materializing. Still, in the realm of classical music, China may already be the new frontier. “Conservatories are bursting at the seams. Young people crowd symphony concerts. Private music schools are flourishing, and urban parents jockey to hire the best tutors, seeing music as a path to status and educational achievement… Curiously, some experts say the hardships of the Cultural Revolution, the cataclysmic period of turmoil from 1966-1976, may be one reason Chinese-born composers and performers have soared to world fame, deepening a passion for Western classical music.”