BEAUTIFUL melodies were heard by all during the 2017 China-Shenzhen Piano Duo and Piano Duet Invitational Contest at Shenzhen Concert Hall on Sept. 2.

The concert started with “Hand in Hand,” a warm and harmonious piano and dance show. During the two-hour concert, contestants as well as invited performers from home and abroad offered attendees a delight for the senses, both visually and musically. The concert was concluded with a performance by Du Ningwu and Helen Sim, two internationally-acclaimed musicians.

A total of 523 contestants from 257 groups participated in the contest, of which 10 groups won the first prize, 10 won the second prize and 26 groups the third prize. Thirteen pianists including Li Xue earned the “Gardener Award of Excellence” and 33 pianists including Xu Ying and Xiao Ling were given the “Gardener Award.”

With the purpose of benefiting citizens by public cultural activities and through a series of build-up events including the opening concert, summit forums and master’s lectures, the contest built a bridge between Chinese and Western cultures and injected vitality into Shenzhen, now dubbed a “City of Piano.”

Sponsored by the Special Funds to Promote Cultural and Sports Development of Futian District, the tournament was jointly hosted by the Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal committee of CPC and Development Center for Public Culture and Sports of Futian District and was supported by the Cultural and Art Training Association of Futian District.

(A Ding)