Music for the holidays

By Chen Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-26 14:33

With the schools' summer vacations around the corner, the Forbidden City Concert Hall is gearing up to entertain Beijing's children.

This year the annual festival, Opens the Door of Arts, will present more than 60 shows of symphonic concerts, choir, chamber concerts, jazz, percussion workshops, Peking Opera, ballet, acrobatics, magic and puppet shows.

The China Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert under the baton of its artistic director Yu Long to kick off the festival on July 10 while Tan Lihua will conduct the Beijing Symphony Orchestra to close the curtains on Aug 31.

The festival will also have workshops for the kids to learn percussion playing, magic, Peking Opera and painting. For the third straight year, Chinese percussionist Li Biao will run a three-day camp on percussion instruments. The past two years have seen some hundred kids take part and touch all kinds of percussion instruments from Africa, Latin America and other exotic places. Li and his band will teach the kids to play some of the simple ones. On the final day of camp, the young percussionists will come together to stage their own concert.

"I really enjoy sharing music with the kids and teaching them how to make rhythmic sounds on these interesting instruments," says Li, "I have a three-year-old boy. He has a strong curiosity to touch every instrument I have. And I also found that many kids who came to my camp have a good ear for melody and rhythm, so I would like to have more opportunities to be with them."

The festival will also feature many internationally known artists and groups such as the French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzt, Chinese pianist Sheng Yuan, tenor Fan Jingma, Chinese folk singer Xiao Juan, Dortmund Boys Choir, Orchestra of Geneva Conservatory and others.

2 pm or 7:30 pm, July 10 to Aug 31

Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square, Beijing

6559-8285, 6559-8306, 6506-5345