Floria Zaharoff

The Daughter of the Maestro: Life in Surabaya, Shanghai, and Florence Floria Zaharoff

Before the current re-birth of Shanghai and before the stagnation brought on by China's Cultural Revolution, there was a vibrant European community in Shanghai. An important element of this cultural oasis in China during the first half of the 1900's was the musical efforts of Maestro Mario Paci, an Italian pianist and conductor who reorganized the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and taught piano and singing to a large number of devoted Chinese and European pupils. Intertwined with her father's life, Floria, the Maestro's daughter, shares her memoirs, from being born in Surabaya, Java to her English schooling in Shanghai and trips to Italy.