Adding another string to his bow

"Unlike the high-pitched sounds produced by violin, the mellow and deep tone of viola instantly attracted me, so I decided to change to the lower-pitched instrument," Mei says. When asked the reason why Wang suggested he make the switch, Mei replies: "I had bigger hands compared with other children of my age back then, which was the main reason why my teacher thought the viola would fit me better."

Soon, he realized that people held a prejudice against the musical instrument and that there is not a great deal of solo pieces written for viola. However, for Mei, musical instruments are vehicles for musicians to express their emotions to an audience.

"You can't play a symphony without the viola section. Each instrument has its own role, which is necessary. They have equally important sounds," says Mei.

Upon hearing the good news of Mei's successful audition, Wang shared his excitement. "I still recall when we talked about his future goals. I am so proud of Mei, who realized his dreams, one by one," says Wang.

In 2014, Mei continued his study at the Central Conservatory of Music and in the same year, he was enrolled to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Germany, with violist Hariolf Schlichtig. In 2018, he won the first prize in the viola category and the Audience Prize at the 2018 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany. In 2019, he became the principal viola of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra while continuing his studies with Japanese violist Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy.

"I am very grateful for being a member of the Munich Philharmonic. I had no experience of working with orchestras before I joined. The orchestra put its trust in me and allowed me to widen my repertories and to perform different styles of music," says Mei. "The experience with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra has been valuable and memorable."

Mei also shared the good news with his parents, who are excited and happy for their son.

"I didn't tell them about auditioning for the Berliner Philharmoniker because, ever since I started to participate in competitions, my parents have been much more nervous than me. I just told my wife and my colleagues at the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra," says Mei.

The violist will return to China and perform concerts, hoping to introduce music works for viola that are rarely performed in his homeland.

"China's classical music market is bigger than ever. I want to introduce more people to the viola, which may not be as popular as other musical instruments, such as the piano, cello and violin. These days, the general technical level of Chinese musicians is very high and we see many Chinese musicians performing with top symphony orchestras worldwide, which is encouraging and inspiring for more young music learners," says Mei.