A big gala opens the Olympic culture festival in the capital

Special: Olympic Winter Games 2022

A grand gala, titled See You in Beijing, will be held at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in the capital on January 6, opening the 22nd Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival.

With seasoned director Tian Qinxin as artistic director and pipa player Zhao Cong as music director, the gala will feature Chinese actors, actresses, singers and instrumentalists.

More than 100 musicians from the National Traditional Orchestra of China and the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra will perform during the gala under the direction of conductor Chen Xieyang, featuring Western classical music and traditional Chinese pieces.

The gala marks the start of the Meet in Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, celebrating the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Paralympic Winter Games.

Chinese athletes, such as short track speed skater and China’s first Olympic Winter Games gold medalist, Yang Yang, world freestyle skiing champion Li Nina and world figure skating champion Pang Qing and Tong Jian, will be invited to join the gala.

Zhao, president and principal pipa performer of the National Traditional Orchestra of China, said the creative team spent three months preparing for the gala. Chinese composer Tang Jianping has been commissioned to write a new piece of music, which will be premiered at the gala.

Xie Jinying, director of the international exchange and cooperation office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, noted that the annual event will bring together 62 performances from 22 countries live and online through February 18, covering classical music. , the dance theater, the Kunqu opera and the Peking opera.

“The Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival has become a communication platform for artists around the world since its launch in 2000. It has won a large fan base with a diversity of performances,” said Xie. “This year, the annual event will be held during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which will introduce Chinese arts and culture to a wider audience.”

Highlights will be Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting, an original Chinese drama by the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, choreographed by Zhou Liya and Han Zhen and inspired by A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains, a famous Chinese painting by the artist Wang. Ximeng from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), as well as a new Chinese musical called Ice Breakers, which combines ice and snow sports with music.

Chen Ning, general manager of the culture and ceremonies department of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee, said a variety of cultural activities have been held in the capital since 2020 to prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympics. of Beijing 2022.

“Performing arts, exhibitions, films, television shows and public events will be organized to celebrate the Olympic spirit,” she said.