On December 3^rd, the NCPA Youth Arts Festival 2023, co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and NCPA, rounded off at the Taihu Stage Art Centre. The closing ceremony was attended by WANG Pan, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, ZHANG Yao, Vice President of the NCPA, and leaders of relevant units. More than 1,100 students from approximately 40 primary and secondary schools in 18 districts gathered together.

 

Up to now, the festival has held over 60 performances, with nearly 6,000 students from over 110 schools going on stage and a total audience of nearly 38,000. Meanwhile, more than 40 art educational activities such as artists visiting the schools and master classes have been held, involving over 10,000 faculties and students. In particular, the primary and secondary school art troupes from Tibet made their debut at the NCPA, promoting exchanges between the young people in Beijing and Tibet.

 

The highlights of this year’s festival are as follows. First of all, giving full play to the high-quality education resources in the society to serve primary and secondary schools. Utilizing the advantages of the NCPA, a performing arts centre with three locations, and national artistic resources to carry out art educational activities. Secondly, much more genres of art have been presented compared to the last year, including operas, concerts, dance and ballets, theatres, and Chinese traditional operas. The number of performances and participating schools has increased, enhancing the influence and popularity of the festival. Addtionally, more attention is paid to offering aesthetic education for all and in rural areas. The proportion of common student art organisations and rural schools is taken into consideration to promote equitable, balanced development of education, as well as to offer more young students with opportunities and platforms for art practice. The last is providing a variety of art activities. Highlight the concept of “arts festival”, hold opening and closing ceremonies, and provide various art activities and services for the youth.

 

Before the closing ceremony, the students visited the recently-opened Taihu Stage Art Library, where they observed more than a hundred student calligraphic works and paintings.

For the closing performance, students from 22 primary and secondary schools, including the Beijing Qiyi Primary School, Beijing Exhibition Road No. 1 Primary School, Beijing Dongzhimen High School, Beijing Linheli Primary School, Beijing Gucheng No. 2 Primary School, and Beijing Yanshen Qianjin No. 2 Primary School, gave a wonderful performance in cooperation with HU Wenge, a leading performer of the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing and a third-generation artist of the MEI School who portrays female roles, DONG Dai, an assistant conductor of the China NCPA Chorus, and opera singer JIN Zhengjian. The students from 16 primary and secondary schools including the West Beijing Primary School attached to the Beijing No. 8 High School, Beijing Huairong District No. 3 Primary School and Beijing Yanqing District No. 3 Primary School, interacted enthusiastically in the auditorium. The students were not only viewers, but also performers and creators.

The Beijing Municipal Education Commission will strengthen cooperation with the NCPA to carry out educational practical activities including the NCPA Youth Art Festival, to build platforms for more young students to arouse their interest in art, enhance their art literacy, and promote the high-quality development of education in Beijing.

Photos by GONG Xuedong