Beijing to welcome star conductors for classical music fest Roam about the Classics

Key performers include Chinese conductor Lv Jia (L), Chinese violist Lv Siqing (C) and Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov. /NCPA Photo

Classical music stars from home and abroad will this month perform works inspired by the beauty of the seasons at a festival in Beijing that is China’s answer to the UK’s largest classical music event, the Proms.

The 10-day Roam about the Classics at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will open on July 13 with Russian composer Alexander Glazunov’s masterful ballet piece, The Seasons: Summer, presented by the China NCPA Orchestra with renowned Chinese conductor Lv Jia and violist Lv Siqing.

Another five concerts will follow, all staged at the NCPA.

All Roam about the Classics concerts are held at the NCPA Concert Hall. /NCPA Photo

The National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, together with Swiss ensemble CHAARTS and Ireland’s RTE National Symphony Orchestra will perform masterpieces from Vivaldi, Mozart, Verdi, Strauss Jr. and Tchaikovsky.

Other notable performers include Grammy-winning Uruguayan conductor and composer Jose Serebrier, and rising star pianist Behzod Abduraimov from Uzbekistan.

Swiss elite classical ensemble CHAARTS. /NCPA Photo

The concerts will also be livestreamed on multiple online platforms, making this summer music feast accessible to people outside the concert hall.

Jose Serebrier and the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. /NCPA Photo

This will be the ninth Roam about the Classics. The festival is based on the UK’s eight-week classical music fest the Proms, which has a history of over a century. Compared to other classical music concerts, the ambiance is more relaxed at these events with the audience free to stand and roam around the concert hall.