The Meet in Beijing festival is about to hit the capital, with thousands of artists from all over the world set to bring the city to life.
The way to evaluate the success of an arts festival is to consider if the event provides the audience with a diverse selection of events, according to Zhang Yu, president of China Arts and Entertainment Group. That's also the core idea behind the annual Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, which is presented by Zhang's company every April and May. "It should be an event celebrated and anticipated by the audience every year," Zhang says. Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, now in its 14th year, will continue to present a range of dance, music, drama and art.
More than 22 arts troupes and 190 bands from more than 30 countries will perform some 60 indoor and 220 outdoor shows, as well as stage many educational events.
In 2014, France and China celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Meet in Beijing Arts Festival will open with a concert conducted by French classical pianist-conductor Philippe Entremont and performed by the symphony orchestra of the China National Opera House at the National Center for the Performing Arts on April 28.
Dancers from the National Ballet of China and Paris Opera Ballet will come together to stage Don Quixote, a classical ballet based on the epic masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes at Peking University Hall from May 15-17.
Throughout May, the festival will feature performances, such as a jazz piano concert by Paris-based Italian jazz pianist Giovanni Mirabassi and Ecuador's outstanding violinist Jorge Saade-Scaff. Feng Mantian, a master player of the Chinese ruan, a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument, will perform, and Hong Kong pop stars Alan Tam and Hacken Lee will present their concert tour. On the other end of the spectrum, 22-year-old Hong Kong singer-songwriter Tang Tsz-kei will also perform.
The drama section will feature the historical play, The Great Revenge, directed by 87-year-old Lan Tianye from Beijing People's Art Theater, The Late Christopher Bean, a comedy-drama by Rene Fauchois, and May All Your Wishes Come True, a blackly humorous drama performed by Taiwan's Monster Drama.
According to Zhang, most of the performances will tour China in May, offering more audiences opportunities to get close to those artists. The company has also cooperated with universities to bring shows and exhibitions onto campuses.
Last year's special feature－The Latin American Arts Season, will be continued, with several artists and musicians from Latin America taking part in the festival.
Musicians from China National Orchestra will perform the most popular music from 18 Latin-American countries, including Uruguay, Mexico and Cuba, with traditional Chinese instruments.
The Latin American Arts Season is just one of the mini festivals within the festival. Others are the Strawberry Music Festival, Chaoyang Pop Music Festival and INTRO Electronic Music Festival.
During the May Day holiday, the first Latin American & Caribbean Music Festival will rock Chaoyang Park in Beijing with more than eight hours of performances each day for free, featuring 11 bands from 10 countries.
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