外国人在中国创业并不少见，但是你见过致力于建立一个职业交响乐团的老外吗？
来自哥斯达黎加的年轻指挥家孟爱德（Edwin Montealegre）自从从上海音乐学院毕业，就一直梦想着在中国拥有一个自己的交响乐队和合唱团。而在今年5月18日江苏省常州市的一个音乐厅里，他带领着亲手组建的上海M交响乐团，举行了首场演出，举起指挥棒那一刻，音乐随之响起，他多年努力的梦想在这一刻得以实现。
A hush of anticipation explodes into rapturous applause in a concert hall in Changzhou city, Jiangsu province, as Edwin Montealegre, a young conductor from Costa Rica, strides onto the stage. He takes a moment to sweep his gaze over the auditorium before raising his baton to begin the performance. This is a culmination of years of hard work and a dream — to establish his own professional orchestra in China.
梦想的起点：上海
孟爱德的梦想开始于上海。他在中美洲热带国家哥斯达黎加出生并长大，2017年在祖国获得了指挥专业的学士学位。次年，他的人生轨迹却因教授的一个建议悄然改变。
The 37-year-old conductor’s journey, beginning in Shanghai, has been an unconventional one. Growing up in the tropical Central American country of Costa Rica, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in conducting in 2017.
他的教授告诉他，上海音乐学院有一位毕业于莫斯科国立柴可夫斯基音乐学院的教授，这让他尤其心动。2019年，孟爱德成功被上海音乐学院的硕士课程录取，得以如愿跟随音乐大师学习。
“In 2018, my professor advised me to go to China because there was a good teacher from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory teaching at Shanghai Conservatory of Music,” Montealegre recalls. “It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” So, he took the plunge, arriving in Shanghai later that year to first learn Mandarin — no easy feat when learning it simultaneously with English. However, the challenge was worthwhile when he gained admission to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s master’s program in 2019.
在上海音乐学院学习期间，孟爱德被上海充满活力的艺术氛围和丰富的音乐机会深深吸引，并萌生了建立专业乐团和合唱团的梦想。他表示在上海，“你只需要想象，然后找出实现的方法。”
During his studies, Montealegre became enthralled by Shanghai’s vibrant arts scene and the wealth of opportunities for musicians. Inspired by the top-caliber concerts he frequently attended, he began “dreaming big” of one day conducting his own professional orchestra and choir to similar levels of excellence. He thinks Shanghai’s arts infrastructure — with its state-of-the-art venues, lighting, and technology — seems to make anything possible. “You just need to imagine it, and then figure out how to make it possible,” he says.
回家？还是在上海创业？
在完成学业后，孟爱德面临着一个重大选择：是回到哥斯达黎加，还是在上海追求他的音乐梦想。他选择了后者，并决定在上海创立自己的公司。尽管缺乏商业经验，但他迅速学习了如何制定商业计划，并成功获得了创业签证。
The seeds of ambition were sown. But when job offers came in from back home as he completed his thesis, he needed to take a pivotal decision — return to the comforts of Costa Rica or take a risk to pursue his musical vision in Shanghai. Against the odds, the conductor chose the road less traveled. With no business experience, Montealegre had to quickly acquire the skills to craft a company plan that could qualify him for an entrepreneurship visa. “What is a business plan? I had no idea,” he says, adding that he had to look it up online.
今年年初，孟爱德的公司——上海莫内斯特音乐制作有限公司正式成立。尽管起步资金为零，但他凭借不懈的努力逐渐获得了支持。“我认为最困难的是要坚信自己能够成功，因为总会有人告诉你这是不可能的。”
The visa application was accepted, and Montealegre officially launched his endeavor early this year with the company named Shanghai M Orchestra. However, hurdles still loomed. With a starting capital of zero, he had to repeatedly muster self-belief. “I think the most difficult thing is to keep the belief that you can make it possible because there are so many people who will tell you it’s impossible,” he says.
通过不断走访并说服投资者和赞助商，孟爱德逐渐为这个羽翼未丰的交响乐队找到了财务支持。他开始有了自己的小团队——一位来自阿尔及利亚的作曲家，以及两位来自马来西亚的成员，一名帮助寻找乐手，一名负责录音，包括他的女友杨璇也是他的左膀右臂。
Through relentless networking and pitching to investors and sponsors, he gradually built support and financial backing for his fledgling orchestra. And, according to Yang Xuan, Montealegre’s girlfriend and right hand of the company, “Montealegre is also building up his team. We have a composer, Kamel, from Algeria, and two Malaysian women who help find orchestra members and recording”.
成立交响乐团只是孟爱德梦想的第一步。目前，他和团队正计划着为中国的年轻音乐家在哥斯达黎加举办音乐体验营，让他们体验不同国家和地区的文化和表演氛围。而他的一大目标则是通过音乐成为连接中国和哥斯达黎加、甚至中国与西方世界的桥梁。
While a big achievement, it’s just the first milestone in Montealegre’s vision. Future ambitions include everything from touring nationwide to establishing a music academy. He and his team are also mulling the idea of a music-themed camp for young Chinese musicians in his home country sometime soon. “For me, it’s important to become a bridge between China and my country, and also between China and the Western world through the music,” he says.
孟爱德认为，上海的良好营商环境和资源服务是他实现梦想的关键。他提到：“当地政府非常重视吸引投资，对外国人的政策也在不断改善。”
He thinks the supportive business environment and a wealth of resources and services in Shanghai helped him pursue his dreams. “The government here is serious about attracting more investment. There are guides in many languages, for example, for work permits — and the policies for foreigners are getting better,” he says.
对于那些希望在中国定居并创业的外籍人士，孟爱德建议一定要有一个开放的心态，积极面对新的体验。“你必须以开放的心态面对全新的事物，不论是食物还是思维。你必须意识到思维的多样性。”
记者：吴婉珍 郑正