THE China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) will take place from May 22 to 26 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in Bao’an District. As one of China’s most influential cultural and creative industry trade fairs, this year’s expo will span 160,000 square meters across eight exhibition halls.

To celebrate, the ICIF Art Season will bring internationally renowned art troupes and top-tier artists to Shenzhen, offering 10 programs across 14 performances from May to July. The lineup includes ballet, symphony, solo concerts, dance dramas, and musicals, complemented by artist lectures and meet-and-greet sessions.

Pingshan Theater

Bolshoi Ballet gala

Accompanied by Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the Bolshoi Ballet from Moscow will perform excerpts from 11 classical ballets. More than 20 star dancers will perform snippets from “Swan Lake,” “Spartacus” and “Don Quixote,” among others. Audiences are promised a night of visual and audio feast.

Time: 8 p.m., May 14-15

Javier Camarena’s protégés concert

The young vocalists who would attend Mexican tenor Javier Camarena’s master class will give a concert of classical opera excerpts.

Time: 8 p.m., May 29

Javier Camarena’s solo concert

Mexican tenor Javier Camarena is the preeminent Mozart and bel canto specialist of his generation. Praised for his burnished tone, gleaming high notes, flawless coloratura and veracious portrayals, he regularly appears in leading roles alongside today’s foremost stars at the world’s top opera houses.

The concert will also feature mezzo-soprano Xiong Yingmeige, a doctorate candidate in opera performance at University of Texas, Austin. Zhang Jialin will accompany the two vocalists on the piano.

Time: 3 p.m., May 31

‘The Brothers Karamazov’

The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by the Russian literary master Fyodor Dostoevsky. Set in 19th-century Russia, “The Brothers Karamazov” is a passionate philosophical novel that ponders on the questions of God, free will, and morality. It is a theological drama dealing with problems of faith, doubt, and reason in the context of a modernizing Russia, with a plot that revolves around the subject of patricide.

Time: 3 p.m., July 26-27

Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山大剧院)

Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山广场站), Exit D1

SZ Concert Hall

A night of Tchaikovsky

Led by Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Orchestra will return to Shenzhen Concert Hall this May to perform an all-Tchaikovsky program. They will bring “The Nutcracker Suite” and the composer’s “Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74,” also known as “Pathétique.”

The Mariinsky Orchestra, founded in 1783 and formerly known as the Kirov Orchestra, stands as one of Russia’s oldest musical institutions.

Time: 8 p.m., May 24

‘Peter and the Wolf’

Led by Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Orchestra will perform a night of Sergei Prokofiev’s music for families.

Narrated by Chinese actor Wang Yaoqing, the first piece will feature music from Prokofiev’s ballet “Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67.” After that, the audience will enjoy his “Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25.” The concert lasts about 60 minutes without intermission.

Time: 3 p.m., May 25

Classical opera night

Led by Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Orchestra will perform a night of classical opera excerpts. The all-star cast also includes tenor Igor Morozov, bass Gleb Peryazev, mezzo-soprano Zinaida Tsarenko and soprano Angelina Akhmedova.

The concert will open with Mikhail Glinka’s overture to the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila.” Then the audience will hear arias from Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas “Sadko” and “The Tsar’s Bride.” The program also includes beloved arias by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Bizet.

Time: 8 p.m., May 25

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

Bay Opera of SZ

Top dancers’ night

The “Night of China’s Top Dancers” is jointly launched by the National Center for the Performing Arts and the China Dancers Association, with previous editions broadcast on multiple online platforms. This performance represents the best of the current Chinese dance scene, showcasing the mutual influence of various dance genres.

Time: to be decided

Modern dance drama

Modern dance drama “The Station” invites audience to embark on a journey of passion and warmth.

Without a definite linear storyline, “The Station” is more like the epitome of society. Using expressive dance moves, the show reflects on societal archetypes such as optimistic dreamers, tenacious pragmatists and those who just go with the flow.

Time: 8 p.m., June 21; 3 p.m., June 22

Venue: Bay Opera of Shenzhen, Bao’an District (深圳滨海艺术中心)

Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (宝华站), Exit A

Guangming Culture & Art Center

Opera concert

The Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra will perform a concert, featuring great countertenors Samuel Mariño, Filippo Mineccia and Li Meili in bel canto arias by Carl Heinrich Graun, George Frideric Handel and others.

Time: 8 p.m., June 1

Venue: Guangming Culture and Art Center, Guangming District (光明文化艺术中心)

Metro: Line 6 to Fenghuang Town Station (凤凰城站), Exit B; then walk around 800 meters(Li Dan)