Beijing Music Festival to Feature World Renowned Musicians From Around the Globe, October 2nd - October 19th

Beijing Music Festival to Feature World Renowned Musicians From Around the Globe, October 2nd - October 19th

East meets West in cultural celebration as Beijing Music Festival marks 11th year of superb classical music

NEW YORK, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2008 Beijing Music Festival, which runs October 2nd - 19th, will host an extraordinary gathering of internationally celebrated musicians in a landmark year of cross-cultural exchange between China and the West. Currently the largest classical music festival in the eastern hemisphere, each year the Beijing Music Festival has grown in stature and reputation and with this year's stunning line-up of artists and popularity with international visitors, it's poised to become one of the largest classical music festivals in the world. The festival features acclaimed performances by the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Opening Night, Der Rosenkavalier, Tannhauser, Opera Gala Concert), The Academy of Ancient Music (Messiah, Dido & Aeneas), Murray Perahia, Hilary Hahn, Hui He (Opera Gala with Deutsche Oper Berlin), Sumi Jo, and many others.

The festival is led by world-renowned conductor Long Yu, the co-founder and current Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic, as well as the founder and Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival. Long Yu has appeared with a prestigious list of international orchestras and opera companies, including the Bamberg Symphony, Academy of St Martin-in-the Fields, Hamburg State Opera and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. In North America, he has conducted the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Washington National Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony and most recently, the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Founded in 1998, the Beijing Music Festival has been a driving force in the growing appreciation of Western classical music. The reintroduction of classical music to China only happened 35 years ago, but in that short space of time, the study and appreciation of the genre has soared. Now, over 50 million children in China study violin and piano. Garnering great critical acclaim from around the globe, each year the festival is a meeting of East and West, as international opera companies, orchestras, ensembles, conductors and soloists participate in a diverse celebration of classical music.

A highlight this year includes the Chinese premier of Unsuk Chin's Rocana, jointly commissioned by the Beijing Music Festival, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Bayerischer Staatsoper and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Also, the Beijing Opera will be performing the Heroine Trilogy -- three traditional works rearranged by famous director Li Liuyi and recomposed by Guo Wenjing.

In what promises to be a moving performance, the festival is holding a special concert commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein: Bernstein on Broadway, featuring his daughter Jamie Bernstein as narrator. The Bernstein celebration will span the globe, with two of the composer's favorites, On the Town and West Side Story, to be broadcast in Times Square in New York City.

For a complete festival program: www.bmf.org.cn

For more information, please contact Pamela Murphy at Align Entertainment Group: pamela@aligneg.com or 646-596-8700

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Source: Beijing Music Festival

CONTACT: Pamela Murphy at Align Entertainment Group for Beijing Music
Festival, +1-646-596-8700, pamela@aligneg.com

Web Site: http://www.bmf.org.cn/

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