The guochao trend, a rising tide of consumers appreciative of Chinese cultural elements, is increasingly evident in many aspects of Chinese people’s lives, from cosmetics to garments to music. As the Shenzhen Concert Hall is celebrating its 14th birthday this week, a festival featuring traditional Chinese music blended with modern elements and rendered in a crossover style will be held throughout this month. Chen Leiji and NCPA Orchestra players Chinese guqin master Chen Leiji will join hands with some instrumentalists of the China NCPA Orchestra to perform traditional Chinese pieces in forms of solos, quartets and quintets. The guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement. Chen has studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Reims Conservatory of Music in France, Rueil Malmaison Conservatory of Music in France, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he played “The Voice Left Behind by the Ancient.” The China NCPA Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing. Since its founding in 2010, the orchestra has established itself as one of the most adventurous and dynamic orchestras in the country and earned an international reputation through extensive performances abroad. Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 15 Tickets: 80-480 yuan Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao” Shuofeng Chinese Music Chamber Orchestra The Shuofeng Chinese Music Chamber Orchestra from Shenzhen will play rearranged Chinese patriotic and folk songs. Time: 3 p.m., Oct. 17 Tickets: Free Booking: WeChat account “szyinyuet” Grand Song of the Dong Ethnic Minority The Grand Song of the Dong Ethnic Minority is a folk song tradition of China’s Dong ethnic minority. The chorus is a cappella as in Western music but the songs of the Dong chorus are intimately linked to all aspects of Dong culture. Dong songs have been used as a means to tell stories and express emotions for more than 2,500 years. Dong choir performances and competitions are arranged on festivals or to welcome honored guests. These occasions also offer a good chance for young men and women to get to know each other through the singing activities. The imitation of natural sounds, such as the chirps and tweets of birds and the sound of flowing water are an integral part of Dong songs, reflecting their close association with nature. The songs are mainly about nature, love, friendship and labor, creating a harmonious and friendly atmosphere for Dong people and giving them a sense of peace and calm. The Shenzhen concert will be presented by the Grand Song of the Dong Ethnic Minority Troupe from Liping County, Guizhou Province. The troupe has performed around the world since its founding in 1972. Chinese tenor Zhao Yi and lyric soprano Li Hongmei will also be featured. Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 23 Tickets: 80-580 yuan Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao” Concert of zhongruan Young Chinese zhongruan player Xue Miao will collaborate with her teacher Xu Yang, pianist Qian Weixiang and percussionist Li Shang to give a night of crossover music. The zhongruan is a Chinese plucked string instrument which is usually played with a plectrum. It can also be played with fingers, which is similar to the way the pipa is played. The zhongruan is a tenor-ranged instrument in the family of ruan. The modern ruan family has expanded to different sizes and the zhongruan is the medium one. Xue has won many awards in China, South Korea and Singapore during her studies at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Xu is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Central Conservatory of Music. She has been the judge of the Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, Wenhua Award of the Cultural Ministry, the National Occupational Skill Competition of the Ministry of Education and the CCTV Grand Prix. Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 29 Tickets: 80-480 yuan Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao” Sichuan Symphony Orchestra concert Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang will lead the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra to play several Chinese symphonies featuring Sichuan culture and folk music and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 4.” Chinese cellist Mo Mo and soprano Zhang Meigui will also be featured at the concert. As a teenager, Ang followed his musical dream to Vienna, and then to St. Petersburg where he studied conducting under the tutelage of Leonid Korchmar in the grand tradition of the legendary Ilya Musin. Under the tutelage of Shinik Hahm, Ang continued his studies at Yale. He took all three top awards at the 50th Besancon International Young Conductors’ Competition, leading to the music directorship of the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne (2012-2015). Three years later, Ang was selected to join the prestigious International Conductors’ Academy of the Allianz Cultural Foundation and invited to take on residencies with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 30 Tickets: 80-680 yuan Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao” Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (福田区深圳音乐厅) Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News) | 