On the afternoon of May 20^th, an outreach performance was held at the open-air theatre of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre during the NCPA May Festival 2023. The NCPA Orchestra and NCPA Resident Singers collaborated with the Chinese Orchestra of the China Conservatory of Music, offering a feast of art to the builders of Beijing’s Subcentre and the audiences from all walks of life.

 

Founded in 2009, the May Festival is a brand of chamber music by the NCPA. Every May, the NCPA offers the audiences an annual feast of chamber music. Since 2012, the May Festival has launched a series of outreach programmes with artists to every corner of the city, including communities, schools, hospitals, workshops and museums to share the beauty of music with the general public. Until now, the NCPA May Festival has been held nine times, with more than 170 performances, reaching nearly 30,000 people.

The performance at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre was co-hosted by the NCPA and Beijing Investment Group Co., Ltd. It kicked off with Chinese Orchestra Jubilee Overture, followed by other Chinese and Western works, including Festive Overture, Grand March, Waltz No. 2 from Jazz Suite No.2, A Fishing Boat Song at Dusk, Wind Octet Suite Roméo et Juliette and Dance of the Yi People for Pipa.

 

Afterwards, the NCPA Resident Singers took the stage with Ballet in Spring, Ode to Yan’an and other choral melodies.

 

The Chinese Orchestra of the China Conservatory of Music interpreted classic Chinese works, including Dance of the Yao People and Blooming Flowers and Full Moon. While the audience sang along with the tune, the Encore My Motherland brought the performance to a close.

The wonderful performances inspired the audience, especially the builders of the Subcentre. The staff representatives from Beijing's Subcenter administrative committee, model workers, five-virtue family members, young teachers and staff representatives from the construction units of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, watched the performances. With their efforts, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, the library and the Grand Canal museum are rising straight from the ground as the major cultural facilities in Beijing’s Subcentre. It is located at the Central Green Park of the Subcentre, on the north bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. With an area of 125,350 square metres, it consists of an open-air theatre and four chamber theatres—the Opera House, Concert Hall, Theatre, and Multi-functional Theatre. The open-air theatre is the first theatre of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre entering into service. There are 650 fixed seats in the open-air theatre and about 850 seats in the expandable area. The sound system, composed of five sets of immersive speakers, gives the open-air theatre an immersive experience area of 80.8%. The open-air theatre is also regarded as the base for outdoor music festivals, immersive theatrical performances and digitally enhanced visual presentation in the future.

As one of the cultural landmarks in the Subcentre, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre shoulders the mission of constructing Beijing into “Four Centres” and the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. This year sees a second charity performance held at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre during the May Festival. Unlike two years ago, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre is overflowing with vigour, and the performance venue has turned from a bustling construction site into an open-air theatre.

 

According to the person in charge, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre is expected to undergo a complete inspection at the end of this September and open in October. The outreach performance is also a “gift” to the audience before the official opening of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre.

 

On the basis of adhering to the NCPA’s philosophies and principles, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre will launch more types of performances such as musicals and family-friendly dramas. In accordance with the young audiences’ artistic aesthetics, more forms of modern art will be presented to meet the public expectations for new genres and new venues.