On November 26^th, the Beijing Forum for Symphonic Music 2025 kicked off at the NCPA.

Prior to the opening ceremony, YIN Li, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, met with representatives of guests attending the forum.

YIN Li stated that music is deeply loved by people. Chinese music boasts a long history and unique styles. Since Western symphonic music was introduced to China, it has integrated with elements of Chinese folk music, traditional opera, and other art forms, giving birth to a number of popular masterpieces that showcase the charm and appeal of Eastern culture. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20^th Central Committee of the CPC has outlined the development blueprint for the "15^th Five-Year Plan" period, proposing initiatives such as prospering new popular literature and art in the internet era, promoting the integration of culture and technology, and extensively carrying out international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. As China's cultural centre, Beijing will strive to build a city of performing arts to better meet the people's diverse and high-quality spiritual and cultural needs. We are willing to work with all parties to deepen and expand cultural exchanges and share the fruits of cultural development. We will give play to the role of the World Association for Performing Arts, make good use of the NCPA and Beijing's theatre cluster, enhance the international influence of forums such as the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts, Beijing Forum for World Symphonic Music, and Taihu International Stage Art Forum. We will strengthen cooperation in fields such as theatre operation and performance planning, facilitate mutual visits and tours by more high-level artists and performance troupes, and let art become a bridge and link for enhancing friendship and mutual learning among civilizations. We will promote the innovative development of musical works and empower art with technology. We will encourage Chinese and foreign artists to conduct joint creations, promote in-depth integration of traditional culture and modern art, create high-quality works with both ethnic characteristics and international perspectives, and bring more excellent artistic works to benefit people around the world. — Beijing Daily

With the theme "Diversity in Cohesion·Excellence through Innovation", this year's forum has invited over 300 representatives from the symphonic music industry, hailing from more than 30 countries and regions across five continents and over 190 international art institutions. It aims to pool global industry wisdom and jointly depict a new chapter in the development of symphonic music. The forum has received great attention and strong support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the PRC and the Beijing Municipal People's Government.

GAO Zheng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, attended and delivered a speech. YANG Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was present. GAO Shiming, Vice Chairman and Member of the Secretariat of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, attended and delivered a speech. SUN Shuo, Vice Mayor of Beijing, attended and delivered a speech. WANG Ning, Chairperson of the World Association for Performing Arts and President of the NCPA, delivered a speech and a keynote address. Meanwhile, responsible persons from relevant central ministries and commissions such as the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CPC and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, relevant departments of the Beijing Municipal Government, members of the World Association for Performing Arts, and representatives of guests from the global industry attended the opening ceremony.

At the opening ceremony, under the baton of conductor LAI Jiajing, the China NCPA Orchestra and Chorus performed the "Triumphal March" from the opera Aida, kicking off the forum with great momentum.

GAO Zheng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

GAO Shiming, Vice Chairman and Member of the Secretariat of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles

Over the years, the NCPA has remained true to its original aspiration, creating a series of popular symphonic performance brands, building a high-quality platform for international musical exchanges and performances, and injecting strong momentum into the development of global symphonic music. With the theme "Diversity in Cohesion·Excellence through Innovation", this forum aims to invite elites in the music industry to express their views freely and jointly explore new concepts and paths for the development of world symphonic music amid the digital technology revolution and intelligent media transformation.

SUN Shuo, Vice Mayor of Beijing

In today's era of deepening globalization, symphonic music bears an important mission of promoting mutual understanding among civilizations and building social consensus. The Beijing Forum for World Symphonic Music has been successfully held for three consecutive sessions, evolving into a grand event in the global performing arts field and a landmark activity in Beijing's cultural sector. We look forward to listening to the insightful views of all guests and believe that this forum will yield fruitful theoretical and practical results. We are eager to work hand in hand with global artists to compose a new chapter of civilized dialogue and artistic coexistence.

 

It is a great pleasure to gather with good friends and new partners from five continents at the NCPA again during Beijing's most beautiful season, to enhance friendship, promote cooperation, seek development, and contribute forward-looking perspectives and wisdom to the development and innovation of global symphonic art. Centered on the theme "Diversity in Cohesion·Excellence through Innovation", this forum will explore the digitalization, localization, youth-oriented development, and diversification of symphonic music. Taking the implementation of the forum's achievements as an opportunity, the NCPA is willing to join hands with peers from all countries, to promote symphonic music to continuously radiate new vitality of the times with innovation and cooperation!

During the keynote speech session on the 26^th, many Chinese and foreign guests delivered speeches, presenting a feast of diverse and wonderful perspectives.

With a history spanning hundreds of years, symphonic music has enriched the treasure trove of world civilization and inspired people's spiritual strength through creation and interpretation of generations of musical masters. In recent years, amid constant changes in the external environment and the rapid development of new technologies, symphonic music has also demonstrated five new characteristics and trends: symphonic performances and exchanges remain active; the empowerment of new technologies has provided more possibilities for creating new scenarios for symphonic performances, while also bringing new challenges. Symphonic audiences are becoming more artistically sophisticated and younger, and the system of symphonic music education and talent training is constantly improving. The development of symphonic music cannot do without the attention and support of the whole society. Here, I propose: let us jointly create an open and inclusive environment for the development of symphonic music, work together to empower symphonic art with digital and intelligent technologies, and jointly formulate plans for art popularization and talent training. Let us unite and cooperate to inject lasting and profound artistic power into the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Over the past 20 years, the digital revolution has not only changed the way we communicate, learn, and consume culture, but also transformed the essential connection between humans and music. In a world increasingly dominated by screens, live music reminds us that culture is an experience. Therefore, I firmly believe that the contemporary mission has a dual dimension: the first is to innovate ways to reach audiences; the second is to safeguard the social and spiritual essence of live performances. We must speak the language of the digital generation without abandoning our core values.

Only through training in orchestras can young musicians learn ensemble playing, improve intonation, understand musical integration, and gain a sense of collective honour. Maintaining idealism and optimism is essential to effectively creating and performing the best music, and in turn, the process of creating and performing music makes people happier and more focused. This belief should be combined with a personal sense of mission to drive us to constantly challenge ourselves, pursue excellence, influence others, and ultimately unite as a global community.

The core of music lies in sharing, collaboration, and communication. The significance of music education is not only to cultivate highly skilled performers, but more importantly, to nurture artists with a spirit of collaboration who listen to each other, lead others, and inspire others. As educators, leaders, and guardians of culture, our responsibility is to protect and nourish this idealism that supports the development of future art, strengthen the construction of art institutions, and safeguard the future of art.

Music is a universal language of humanity that transcends cultures and regions, connecting hearts with each other. For many years, the UAE and China have adhered to the spirit of mutual respect, understanding, and mutual learning, continuously deepened cultural exchanges, and jointly composed a chapter of civilized dialogue. We firmly believe that it is the differences in melodies and styles that constitute a complete picture of world symphony. The power of music does not lie in uniformity, but in the harmonious integration of different voices to form a grand movement that transcends the individual. We look forward to cooperating with all of you here to build a musical world that crosses cultures, integrates, and resonates.

"Music is not exclusive to elites, but serves all humanity equally." The Venezuelan Sistema de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles del Estado (El Sistema) firmly believes that music is a right, not a privilege. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, the El Sistema education system has benefited millions of young people around the world. It seeks to resonate with people through classic works by musicians such as Beethoven and Mahler, bridge gaps between different cultures, help people establish cultural identity through symphonic music, and integrate traditional melodies into the soul. "Symphonic music is born from the people." As a bridge of peace, El Sistema breaks down social barriers and has been recognized by UNESCO for its outstanding educational contributions. In the future, El Sistema will continue to promote cultural diversity, spread the harmonious sounds of dreams to every corner of the world, and jointly create a diverse and shared artistic future.

In the streaming era, classical music has achieved widespread popularity, but deep listening among audiences in the fast-paced age is on the decline. The power of the short video market may reduce it to a silent continent. Radio France and its orchestras have closely integrated high art with mass communication to enhance its visibility and sustainability, safeguarding this cultural treasure. Close cooperation between theaters and strong support from public policies are also necessary measures to protect classical music, ensuring that it is passed down as a shared heritage for generations to come.

In the digital age, are orchestras going to thrive by embracing the digital world to its fullest extent, or by aligning themselves with an analogue counterculture? Indeed, symphony orchestras must keep pace with the digital world, as digitalization has become indispensable. However, the traditional concert hall experience is also of great value. The absence of digital intervention makes it even more precious in the digital age, enhancing the individual, social, and collective experience of music. The concert hall can become a haven in the hearts of audiences.

Since the 21^st century, China's symphonic music industry has demonstrated professional and international development characteristics. Currently, the number of professional symphony orchestras in China has grown to approximately 80, forming a development pattern led by core cities and radiating across the country. This reflects the country's investment in cultural construction, the needs of urban development, and the growing market interest in classical music. The maturity of China's symphonic music industry is concentrated in three dimensions: a standardized operation system centered on the concert season system has been widely established; driven by commissioned creations, many excellent works integrating national heritage and international expression have emerged; and taking international tours as a bridge, symphony orchestras have become important envoys for spreading Chinese culture.

The opening ceremony and keynote speeches of the forum were live-streamed on multiple media platforms, including the NCPA Classical Music Channel and CCTV.com, and simultaneously broadcast globally through the NCPA's overseas social media platform and the World Association for Performing Arts website.

During the streaming, overseas audience from Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, and Uganda, et al. watched and interacted. Institutions and artists such as the Berlin Opera Foundation, violinists from the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and sopranos from the Singapore Lyric Opera praised the live broadcast of the forum. Many overseas netizens left comments after watching the opening ceremony. A netizen from Singapore commented: "China is the best." A netizen from Indonesia wrote: "China is excellent."

Today, participating guests will conduct in-depth discussions on four major industry hot topics at the Grand Hyatt Beijing: "Festival & Season", "Symphony in the Digital Age: Intelligent Evolution", "Symphony Indigenisation", and "Symphony Unbound: Younger, Bolder, Richer", injecting new momentum and inspiration into the development of world symphonic music.

At the closing ceremony of the Beijing Forum for World Symphonic Music 2025 tomorrow, the forum's achievement "Beijing Consensus", will be released, jointly guiding the development of world symphonic music towards greater prosperity. Stay tuned!