Festival set for sound of music

On April 10, 85-year-old conductor Bian Zushan will lead the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China in a concert featuring selections from the classic Chinese ballet The Red Detachment of Women composed by Wu Zuqiang and Du Mingxin and music works by composer Guan Xia, including Symphonic Ballade and Hope and Pursuit from Symphony No 1.

"I've witnessed the development of the classical music scene of the country, which is vibrant and exciting. Chinese classical music works have distinctive Chinese styles, which are unique and gradually gaining recognition worldwide," says Bian.

He was orphaned at the age of 13 after his father died. His new home was an orphanage in Shanghai, where he learned to play the piano.

"I fell in love with classical music works because I was touched by the emotions. When I look back, it's true that classical music has changed my life," says Bian, who graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music and was the principal conductor of the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China.

During the concert at the NCPA on April 10, Zhang Yi, the current principal conductor of the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China, will share the stage with Bian.

China's first female conductor, Zheng Xiaoying, at 92, will perform with the symphony orchestra of Xiamen Municipal Opera and Dance Drama Troupe on April 16 with Chinese composer Liu Yuan's The Echoes of Hakka's Earth Buildings, an original music piece which Zheng has been performing and promoting during the past two decades.