24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival to feature 1200 performances

The 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will take place from Oct 17 to Nov 27, featuring more than 1,200 performances and events.

Among the 55 main performances, overseas productions account for nearly 60 percent, with approximately 90 per cent set to premiere in Shanghai, according to Li Ming, president of the center for CSIAF.

The opening production True Elegance of Supreme Harmony: The Kunqu Opera Classics from the Imperial Palace (Season One), will be presented by Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Oct 17.

Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from Rome, Italy will play at the closing concert at Shanghai Symphony Hall on Nov 27, under the baton of British conductor Daniel Harding, who is the orchestra's new music director for the 2024/25 music season.

CSIAF has commissioned Kontakthof - Echoes of '78, which will be presented from Nov 7 to 9 at Shanghai International Dance Center. Kontakthof, premiered in 1978 as an important piece by Pina Bausch, one of the most celebrated choreographers of the 20th century.

Created by Meryl Tankard, Kontakthof - Echoes of '78 features the original cast from 46 years ago. Nine of the original dancers return to their roles as the production creates a poignant interaction between past and present.

The piece will be making its Asian debut at the festival, with Shanghai being its only performance stop in China.