Lei Kaibin

raylei21@163.com

AS the countdown to the 2017 China Shenzhen Bao’an International Accordion Festival reaches its final three days, the organizer and the city are preparing for the opening Sunday, the Bao’an District Government announced in a press release Thursday.

The musical feast, divided into nine concerts, will be held from Sunday to Thursday at Xixiang Music Valley in Bao’an District, offering the audience a chance to bathe in the notes played by accordionists from China as well as 20 other countries.

“We have been preparing for this festival for half a year, and we have the confidence to say that this will be by far the largest accordion event not only in China, but in the world,” said Tong Jianhua, director of the festival’s organizing committee and the Shenzhen Accordion Association. “It also stands out as the highest-level accordion performance in China.”

One of the highlights of the event is its attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest accordion ensemble, which will be played at the Xixiang Sports Center at 3 p.m. Monday.

According to Tong, they received over 2,000 applications to join the ensemble. Guinness World Records referees will be present during the performance and have already prepared the certificate, Tong added.

Another blockbuster prepared for the audience is the opening concert, which will feature Argentine accordionist, Walter Rios. “He can be considered a national treasure-level accordionist for Argentina, and this will be his first time playing in China,” said Tong. “What moved the committee even more was, even in his 70s, Rios insists on arriving early to rehearse on his own. This not only shows how much he values the festival, but also his professionalism as a musician.”

During a series of contests, Shenzhen people will hear from both professional and amateur accordionists divided into nine categories. The 26 groups of contestants will compete from Tuesday to Thursday.

During the four evenings, from Monday to Thursday, personal concerts will be held at the music valley’s west square, which will include accordionists, such as Anna Kryshtaleva, Yuri Sidorov and Alexander Poeluev.

The concerts at the West Square of Xixiang Music Valley will be free of charge, while the prices for tickets to the other concerts range from 150 yuan (US$22) to 280 yuan.