Beijing Music Festival Announces 2025 Festival
Future Tradition · Moments and New Voices
The Beijing Music Festival (BMF), the most important international multi-day classical music event in China, has announced the details of its 28th festival, taking place October 10–24 under the theme Future Tradition · Moments and New Voices. The festival is a celebration of music and the arts, dedicated to exploring the dialogue between classical and contemporary music and between Eastern music and Western artistic forms. Through diverse performances—including the China premiere of Alban Berg’s groundbreaking 20th-century opera Wozzeck, for its 100th anniversary—the festival will showcase Beijing as a cultural center for innovation, integration, and creativity.
On August 17th, BMF held a press conference at the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center, announcing all major programming and activities. Attendees included representatives from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, BMF Artistic Committee Chair Long Yu, who founded the festival in 1998, and BMF Artistic Director Shuang Zou.
“This year’s festival aspires to be a high-caliber, internationally influential artistic celebration,” said Long Yu. “By presenting innovative musical works and formats, the festival will enrich cultural life in the capital.”
“The theme Future Tradition · Moments and New Voices highlights Beijing’s ability to blend traditional essence with innovation,” added Shuang Zou. “It emphasizes its identity as a city steeped in history, yet pulsating with modern energy.”
The 2025 Beijing Music Festival includes world-class performances and cross-cultural collaborations that feature Long Yu—a leading conductor and a pillar of the classical music industry in China—leading the China Philharmonic Orchestra, a longtime BMF collaborator, now celebrating its 25th anniversary; world-renowned conductor Charles Dutoit leading the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; soloist Haochen Zhang, the Gold Medalist of the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; star violinist Gil Shaham; internationally recognized Finnish conductor John Storgårds; Chinese piano prodigy Tianxu An, making his BMF debut performing music by the Russian composer Mikhail Pletnev; Japanese superstar pianist Hayato Sumino; conductor Yang Yang, who serves as artistic director of the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra; Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits; British conductor and harpsichordist Harry Bicket; and the Hungarian mezzo-soprano Ildikó Komlósi, among many others.
This year’s operatic programming features Handel’s Baroque classic Rinaldo and the Chinese premiere of Wozzeck. On October 14, Rinaldo will be performed at Forbidden City Concert Hall by The English Concert, one of the world’s leading period instrument ensembles, conducted and accompanied on harpsichord by Harry Bicket. The cast includes the rising Chinese countertenor Liu Shen. The new production of the groundbreaking classic Wozzeck is by the Belgium-based Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. It will be performed by Dutoit and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the premiere of the historic opera.
Committed to spotlighting Chinese composers on its global stage, BMF will also premiere new works by three Chinese composers this year: Du Yun, BMF’s 2019 Artist of the Year and the first Chinese woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, who returns for the premiere of A Sea Engraved in the Forest; the celebrated composer Huang Ruo, known for blending traditional Chinese motifs with contemporary techniques, premiering City of Floating Sounds; and the emerging Hong Kong composer Elliot Leung premiering Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavors, an orchestral work inspired by Chinese cuisine.
New this year is the BMF Sunshine Youth Music Carnival, offering masterclasses, open music workshops, and interactive performances to increase public engagement. The 28th Beijing Music Festival will also expand beyond traditional venues, bringing music to the city streets, public spaces, and online platforms. The festival will continue its student ticket program while introducing flexible new ticketing options that include festival passes and opera packages. Through the website, official app, WeChat, and video accounts, and the social networking platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote), BMF provides streamlined services and digital experiences.
For more information, please visit www.bmf.org.cn/en or www.facebook.com/BeijingMusicFestival/
Beijing Music Festival 2025: Future Tradition · Moments and New Voices
—Long Yu and Haochen Zhang—
October 10, National Centre for the Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
China Philharmonic Orchestra
Long Yu, conductor
Haochen Zhang, piano
—A Sea Engraved in the Forest—
October 12, Beijing Comedy Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Du Yun: A Sea Engraved in the Forest (world premiere, co-commissioned by BMF and Lincoln Center)
Du Yun collaborated with the Jino people of Yunnan, China’s last officially recognized ethnic group, to create a work that merges folk traditions with contemporary narrative. The project reflects Du Yun’s mission to preserve endangered cultural heritage while rooting modern music in deep cultural soil. The program exemplifies BMF’s role in bringing Chinese voices into the global cultural dialogue through original music. This program is a joint commission and production by the Beijing Music Festival and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Ancient Songs of the Jino Ethnic Group
Children’s Songs of the Jino Ethnic Group
Grand Drum Dance of the Jino Ethnic Group
—Rinaldo—
October 14, Forbidden City Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
George Frideric Handel: Rinaldo, Opera in Three Acts
The English Concert
Harry Bicket, conductor and harpsichord
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Rinaldo (countertenor)
Mary Bevan, Almirena (soprano)
Paula Murrihy, Goffredo (mezzo-soprano)
Alexander Chance, Eustazio (countertenor)
Ashley Riches, Argante (bass-baritone)
Rachael Wilson, Armida (mezzo-soprano)
Andy Shen Liu, Araldo/Donna/Magician (countertenor)
—Melodies in Motion: Spring Bird@ BMF—
October 17, Genesis Beijing, 7:30 p.m.
October 19, Divine Music Administration Temple of Heaven, 5 p.m.
Frédéric Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22
Amy Beach: Romance, Op. 23
Clara Schumann: Impromptu in E major
Gaspar Cassadó: Suite for Solo Cello
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40
Daniel Wang, cello
Helen Meng, piano
—Wozzeck—
October 18, Poly Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Alban Berg: Wozzeck, Opera in three acts (China premiere)
New production by Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Belgium
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Beijing Philharmonic Choir
Shanghai Conservatory of Music Choir
Charles Dutoit, conductor
Yifan Sun, assistant conductor
Julia Strelchenko, piano/repetiteur
Johan Simons, director
Sammy Van den Heuvel, scenographer
Greta Goiris, costume designer
Flóra Kruppa, costume designer
Friedrich Rom, lighting designer
Robin Adams, Wozzeck (baritone)
Magdalena Hofmann, Marie (mezzo-soprano)
Michael Schade, Hauptmann (tenor)
Martin Winkler, Doktor (bass-baritone)
Samuel Sakker, Tambourmajor (tenor)
Hugo Kampschreur, Andres (tenor)
Lotte Verstaen, Margret (mezzo-soprano)
Rueben Mbonambi, Handwerksbursch I (bass)
Leander Carlier, Handwerksbursch II (baritone)
Qirui Cui, Narr (tenor)
—Mikhail Pletnev Performs with the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra—
October 19, Forbidden City Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Mikhail Pletnev: 14 Musical Memories
Mikhail Pletnev: Fantasia Helvetica for two pianos and orchestra
Rachmaninoff: Caprice Bohémien
Rachmaninoff International Orchestra
Kirill Karabits, conductor
Mikhail Pletnev, piano
Tianxu An, piano
—City of Floating Sounds: BBC Philharmonic Special Concert—
October 20, multiple locations (RSVP only), 6 p.m.
October 20, NCPA Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Huang Ruo: City of Floating Sounds (city-walk version)
Huang Ruo: City of Floating Sounds (live version)
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor
Hayato Sumino, piano
Josh Kopeček, creative technologist
—Hayato Sumino Piano Recital—
October 21, Poly Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Frédéric Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 48
Hayato Sumino: Three Nocturnes
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826
Hayato Sumino: Two Pieces of Chopin’s Recompositions
Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 870 from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
Friedrich Gulda: Prelude and Fugue
Nikolai Kapustin: Concert Etudes, Op. 40 Nos. 1, 2 & 3
Maurice Ravel: Boléro (arr. Hayato Sumino)
Hayato Sumino, piano
—Gil Shaham Performs with the China Philharmonic Orchestra—
October 24, Poly Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Elliot Leung: Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavors (selections) (commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra)
I. Da Hong Pao
III. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
IV. Peking Duck
V. Deep Fried River Prawns
IX. Glutinous Rice in Bamboo Tube
X. Deep Fried Sesame Balls/Finale
Johannes Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
China Philharmonic Orchestra
China National Opera House Chorus
Yang Yang, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
Ildikó Komlósi, mezzo-soprano
Central Opera House Chorus
—Additional events—
October 6–8: Youth Orchestra Showcase at the Beijing Music Industry Park, featuring student ensembles from universities, and primary and secondary schools in Beijing and other provinces.
October 11: Du Yun leads a forum titled Future · Tradition, at Hongsheng International Center, to explore how traditional Chinese music can be transformed in modern composition, underlining BMF’s core theme and Beijing’s vision for innovation with integrity.
October 15: Tianxu An performs a midday recital at CITIC Tower, combining classical masterpieces with contemporary works in a city landmark.
October 17: Charles Dutoit and director Johan Simons discuss the artistic significance of Wozzeck in a special preview event at Genesis Beijing, offering insight into this landmark expressionist opera.
October 17, Rising Voices: Cellist Tianyou Wang and pianist Huaying Meng offer a Romantic recital featuring works by Chopin and Clara Schumann. The performance highlights a fresh interpretation of Romanticism from a new generation’s lens.
October 18: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra presents Musical Storyland, a children’s concert at Genesis Beijing, blending storytelling and classical music in an interactive experience. 11–11:45 a.m.
October 21: Hayato Sumino Meet and Greet, at Winland Beijing IFC. 12–1 p.m.
October 22: Ildikó Komlósi Masterclass
October 23: Gil Shaham Masterclass
More about the Beijing Music Festival
Since its founding in 1998 by conductor Long Yu, BMF offers a glimpse into the future of classical music, creating a platform for domestic and international performance exchanges, turning Beijing into an international music hub every fall. Now led by Artistic Director Shuang Zou, the festival bridges China to the rest of the world through the arts, also galvanizing the creation of Western and Chinese contemporary music. BMF lets young Chinese musicians showcase their talents from a platform with global reach, which has been the driving force for Long Yu, the former artist director who now serves as the chairman of the Artistic Committee, for many years. BMF is the most authoritative arts and culture event in Asia.