Classical Celebration

From Oct 9 to 29, the Beijing Music Festival will present 30 performances, besides lectures, workshops, master classes and kids' concerts. Chen Jie reports

Western classical music in China today faces big challenges from new technology, new media and modern lifestyles. When the Beijing Music Festival was launched in 1998, all the concerts were sold out because fans were eager to see maestros and top orchestras perform live.

But now, as Beijing hosts different types of music festivals and develops more live venues, giving audiences a chance to see a variety of performances, the BMF, the pioneer, is losing out just as classical music itself is losing its allure.