What's on

A key event

Pianist Chen Sa will give a recital of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 20 in G major, Piano Sonata No 21 in C major, Waldstein, and Piano Sonata No 25 in G major, among others. The Chongqing native won first prize in the 1994 China International Piano Competition and fourth place in the 2000 International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition before beginning a professional performing career that has taken her all over the world. She has toured and played with many great musicians such, as Gidon Kremer and Natalie Gutman, and appeared at music festivals, including the Schleswig Holstein Festival, the Rurl Piano Festival and the Lockenhaus Music Festival.

7:30 pm, Aug 27. National Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Drunk on love

The classic two-act comic opera, L'elisir d'Amore, by renowned Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti will be screened at the Opera House of the National Center for the Performing Arts. First performed in Milan in 1832, this iteration was produced by the NCPA and premiered in Beijing in 2010.Performed by the China NCPA Chorus and Orchestra, the opera was directed by Pier Francesco Maestrini and featured Italian soprano Serena Gamberoni and Italian tenor Francesco Meli performing the two leading roles. The opera revolves around the romance between Adina, a rich and beautiful female landlord, and a poor young peasant named Nemorino.

2 pm, Aug 29. National Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

The art of awareness

An increasing number of designers these days attempt to address global environmental issues by recycling objects and using materials that are biodegradable to create their works. Some of these designs are on show at Disruptive Matter. The exhibition teams up 18 designers and design groups from across the world whose thought-provoking creations seek to open up a dialogue with the public about how to build a much more sustainable future against a worsening climate crisis. The pieces show the latest development in materials and biotechnologies, and examine possible solutions to the balancing of people's needs and a sustainable world with little waste.

10 am-6:30 pm, last entrance at 6 pm, daily through Nov 8. chi K11 art space, 4F Shenyang K11 Art Mall, 2A No 1, Expo Road, Heping district, Shenyang, Liaoning province. 024-8251-6200.

On a historical note

Ranging from the Neolithic Jiahu bone flute, the Tang Dynasty (618-907) "Jiu Xiao Huan Pei" guqin (zither) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) 12-tone pitch pipes, ancient China's various musical instruments continue to resonate with contemporary people. These artifacts embody rich cultural information about the evolution of rituals and ceremonies in accordance with social hierarchies, arts and crafts developed by ethnic groups and collective beliefs about the universe and humanity that continue to unite Chinese thinking. The ongoing exhibition, The Sound of Harmony, traces the development of musicology, folk art and culture. It displays over 200 items, mostly musical instruments, from the National Museum's collection and on loan from other cultural institutions, such as the Palace Museum and Shanghai Museum. The exhibition also examines music's roles in state activities, public education and exchanges between ancient China and other civilizations.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. Reservation needed. 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing.010-6511-6400.