Chinese music in spotlight at high-profile festival

The 39th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival will highlight Chinese music to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

Established in 1959, the festival is the longest running music event in the city. The festival will take place in April, featuring 33 concerts and four dance theater shows.

The opening concert will be held at the Shanghai Symphony Hall on April 8. Entitled My Motherland and I, the concert will consist of celebrated patriotic and classic music compositions created over the past 70 years. Among them are some of the earliest symphonic pieces in China and songs of enduring popularity.