Music awards bring sounds of success to Chengdu

Area's melodious history attracts top talent from across the country to compose quality works

Many people are aware of the Voyager 1 probe, sent into space by NASA in 1977. But very few know that aboard the probe was a gold-plated music record carrying music as a gift to any extra terrestrial entities that might be out there in the deep, black void of space.

One of the musical arrangements that were carried on the probe was Liushui, or flowing water, composed by Zhang Kongshan, a guqin (Chinese seven-stringed zither) artist when he was in Chengdu.

The spirit of that piece and of music in general has thrived in Chengdu for hundreds of years.

Today, the city is host of the Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, one of China's top awards for talented musicians and singers.

From Oct 19 to Monday, the 12th Golden Bell Award was held in Chengdu, the first time the event has been held in western China since its establishment in 2001. According to Chengdu officials, its 13th and 14th edition will also be held in Chengdu.

The Golden Bell Award, sponsored by the Chinese Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Musicians Association, has four main awards for music performance this year. They are vocal music in folk and bel canto styles, as well as instrumental awards for violin and erhu.

A total of 42 music competitions were organized at the ceremony. Outside the awards hall, five special concerts were held in Chengdu.

"Chengdu, as the host city of the Golden Bell Award, showcases great strength in building itself into an international music city," said Han Xin'an, standing vice-chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association, adding that the hosting of the Golden Bell Award ceremony in Chengdu is also conductive for the development of the award.

Yu Junjian, director of the 12th Golden Bell Award said that it has attracted top performers, conductors and singers from across China, and is a grand event that will be remembered.

Yu said that the Golden Bell Award will help to improve the cultural environment across the whole city and inject vitality into its effort to become an international music capital.

In addition to the performances and awards, the Chengdu authorities prepared an assortment of Golden Bell Award-themed activities during the ceremony, such as a series of grassroots' performances, a dialogue on the Chengdu music industry, master classes and woodwind musical performances.

The Golden Bell Award Memorial Square, whose construction was completed during the 12th Golden Bell Award, will feature introductions of the winners of the 12th to 14th Golden Bell Awards and list the names of renowned musicians in Sichuan's modern history.

The Golden Bell Award is not the only big ticket event for the music industry in Chengdu. The city's efforts in cultivating the local music industry have been recognized at all levels by music event organizers, according to Chengdu officials.

In April, the eighth Music City Conference was held in Chengdu, with about 400 participants from more than 14 countries and regions. It was the first time for the conference to be held in Asia. A large number of music-themed projects were launched in the city at the event.

In July, a culture week celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the friendship city relationship between Chengdu and the German city of Bonn was held in Chengdu. As a key activity of the event, the Chinese region preliminary round of the 2019 Bonn Beethoven International Piano Competition was held. In 2018, the output value of Chengdu's music industry reached 39.79 billion yuan ($5.6 billion), with a year-on-year increase of 21.69 percent.

In early 2018, Chengdu released a three-year action plan on its becoming an international music capital. According to the plan, by 2020, Chengdu should have more than 30,000 seats available for indoor music performances and host more than 30 international activities held by key music brands. The annual output value of the music industry will exceed 57 billion yuan, the plan said.

At present, Chengdu has set up 37 large and medium-sized performance venues, four characteristic music industrial parks and five music towns.

Chengdu City Concert Hall, put into use at the end of 2018, is the largest concert hall in western China. Chengdu Open-air Music Park, opened in April, is the first city park in China with an open-air square themed around music.

Chengdu Open-air Music Park is a key project in a three-year action plan for Chengdu to build itself into an international music capital.

(China Daily 10/29/2019 page19)