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October 17, 2014

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Diversity is the key with numerous side events

NUMEROUS side events are taking place in conjunction with the annual Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The selection and styles vary significantly, giving residents a ton of choices from world music performances and several Canadian ensembles to a Shaanxi Province cultural heritage display and a competition between puppet masters.

Known as the “festival within the festival,” these events have been a popular fixture since 2002 and are an attempt to diversify and showcase the talents of lesser-known artists, according to Liu Wenguo, the festival’s artistic director.

With programs like Australian Culture Week, Mexican Culture Week and German Culture Week all well received during previous festivals, Liu says he and his team have been keen to add similar events to this autumn’s calendar.

“The side events embrace different styles, which serve as an important supplementary components of the festival,” says Liu.

World Music Shanghai has been held annually since 2008 and will be included as part of this year’s arts festival for the first time. The lineup includes seven indoor concerts at Mercedes-Benz Arena, along with an outdoor concert at Chongming Dongping National Forest Park and another at New Hongqiao Central Park. There will also be a series of lectures, film screenings and workshops beginning tomorrow.

Acclaimed musicians and groups from five continents will perform including German multi-instrument genius Stephan Micus, Azerbaijan mugham artist Gochag Askarov, Berlin-based Mongolian singer Urna Chahar-Tugchi, legendary Tuvan throat-singing group Huun-Huur-Tu and Brazilian “guitar queen” Badi Assad.

Yang Lei, artistic director of World Music Shanghai, says: “World music is still a minority art compared with pop and classical, but it has a growing fan base since the genre helps bring a sense of inner peace to listeners.”

Yang says it has been difficult bringing such acts to the city since they started from scratch and few people knew about the music. But today he is proud to say they have a fair number of Chinese fans. And he is very optimistic the arts festival will further help promote the genre in Shanghai and China.

Other side events include Canadian Culture Week, Shaanxi Culture Week and the Golden Magnolia International Puppet Art Festival.

Canadian Culture Week will feature an Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal concert conducted by Kent Nagano, “Romeo and Juliet” by Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the acrobatic show “Traces” by Les 7 Doigts de la Main and a recital by Toronto-based flutist Ron Korb.

Shaanxi Culture Week is highlighted by an exhibition of bronzes unearthed from the cemetery of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-770 BC) aristocrats at Shigushan. The exhibition begins on November 12 at Shanghai Museum (200 People’s Ave).

Another recommended event is the Chang’an ancient music concert on November 14 at He Luting Concert Hall (20 Fenyang Rd). The music is on the world intangible heritage list and takes listeners back in time.




 

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