Lianhua Hill music festival lifts district’s cultural image
This year’s “Double 11” shopping spree didn’t appear to have reduced the number of visitors to Lianhua Hill Park, where tens of thousands turned out for classical music.
The 2017 Lianhua Hill Glades Music Festival presented four orchestras on Nov 10-12 at Lianhua Hill’s Kite Square. With Michael Koehler as artistic director, the festival offered four concerts by Philharmonie Leipzig, Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra, Siberian Symphony Orchestra and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. The Sunday afternoon concert by Shenzhen Youth Elite Symphony Orchestra was canceled due to rain.
Chinese violinist Lyu Siqing was featured in the Sunday night concert. Last year, the Futian district government invited him to be the district’s cultural adviser to promote Futian’s cultural exchange with the outside world and to enhance Futian’s cultural profile.
Now in its fourth year, the open-air festival has been Shenzhen’s late autumn musical sensation, demonstrating that classical music can have a transformative impact on the city.
“We hope to improve locals’ cultural life gradually. At the first Lianhua Hill Glades Music Festival in 2014, we only invited three orchestras, but this year, we invited five orchestras from Russia, Germany, Shenzhen, Macao and Guangzhou. There are not only renowned professional musicians but also amateur players from local schools. Whether you like easy-listening tunes or long and serious pieces, there’s a performance for you,” said Gu Dandan, director of Futian district civilization office.
According to Jian Dingxiong, head of Futian district’s cultural and sports bureau, they handed out 15,000 free tickets through the bureau’s official WeChat account in three installments and all were taken up by WeChat users within three minutes. The organizers also had the concerts broadcast live on the bureau’s WeChat account.
“When we initiated the festival in 2014, we hoped it would one day be developed like the famous Berlin Philharmonic’s outdoor summer concert in Waldbuhne. The German concerts charge tickets while we offer free tickets,” said Jian.
The Lianhua Hill Glades Music Festival not only encourages locals to enjoy classical music in a relaxed way but also advocates environmental protection. This year, it called for members of the audience to collect garbage in the park. The festival organizers will donate books to autistic children.