Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

OVER 1,000 artists and art groups from more than 30 countries and regions, mostly along the Belt and Road, will gather in Shenzhen from Friday to Oct. 31, staging a total of 59 performances for a 54-day music feast at various venues across the city, according to a press conference held by the city government yesterday.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the 2023 Shenzhen Belt and Road International Music Festival has invited 32 outstanding art troupes from around the world, including Russia, Austria, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Iran, the U.K. and France.

Audiences will be able to enjoy diverse concerts such as symphony, instrumental solo, vocal solo, choir, national opera and world music, as well as other forms of performance art, including classical ballet, modern ballet, modern dance and musicals.

The festival will feature a group of internationally renowned music masters, including world-class soprano Angela Gheorghiu, piano virtuoso Stephen Hough and violinist Vadim Repin.

Out of the 35 shows in the festival, 10 plays or operas and artists will be making their first appearances in China or Shenzhen.

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For instance, the musical “Sanxingdui” will make its world premiere in Shenzhen.

Multiple projects in the music festival will facilitate cooperation between international groups and local artists. The Béjart Ballet Lausanne will introduce 20 young Shenzhen dancers to perform on the same stage. British choreographer Aakash Odedra will collaborate with Shenzhen-based artist Hu Shenyuan to perform the modern dance “Samsara.” The Vienna Boys’ Choir from Austria will join hands with the Shenzhen Children’s Choir to sing on stage.

The festival will also feature a batch of excellent performances infused with Chinese traditional culture, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) culture, and Chinese elements to tell China’s stories well and make the voice of Shenzhen heard.

In addition, many celebrities will also carry out activities such as master classes and lectures in Shenzhen. Discounted tickets of no more than 100 yuan (US$13.7) for all performances during the music festival will be available to citizens.

“It demonstrates BRI’s extraordinary significance in promoting cultural exchanges and development that the festival will gather artists and art groups from Belt and Road countries and regions in Shenzhen to present brilliant performances together,” Ciprian Teodorașcu, an artist representative of this year’s music festival, said.

The Shenzhen Belt and Road International Music Festival is a national event held in Shenzhen, which aims to create a broad platform for convergence, integration, exchange and interaction, and to showcase the musical art of countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

Since the festival’s inception in 2017, it has become one of the important platforms for telling the stories of Shenzhen, Guangdong, the GBA and China to the outside world.