Elegant paintings
Paintings created by artists from Nanjing in the mid-17th century are on display at the Shenzhen Museum. The paintings, mainly brushwork landscapes, flowers and birds, were created by artists of the Jinling style school. Jinling was a former name of Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province. Nanjing was the international hub of East Asia and one of the largest cities in the world in ancient times.
Dates: Until March 1
Venue: Shenzhen Museum, Block A, Civic Center, Futian District(福田区市民中心A区深圳博物馆新馆)
Metro: Shekou or Longhua Line, Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B
Treasures
More than 180 pieces of bronzeware, goldware and porcelain dating back more than 3,000 years from Shanxi Province are on display.
Dates: Until March 6
Venue: Shenzhen Museum, Block A, Civic Center, Futian District (福田区市民中心A区深圳博物馆新馆)
Metro: Shekou or Longhua Line, Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B
'Cross Line'
Eight artworks designed by eight domestic contemporary artists and handmade by seven traditional handicraft people are on display at the "Cross Line" exhibition. Separated by huge bamboo curtains, the eight artworks feature metal wire crocheting, cotton thread weaving, rattan weaving, bamboo weaving and silk embroidery. Chinese cultural expert and art critic Wang Luxiang said the exhibition is a dialogue between contemporary art and traditional handicrafts and is, hopefully, an extension of both.
Dates: Until March 6
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Venues: C2, North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区C2展厅)
Metro: Luobao Line, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A
David Tao to sing at Shenzhen Bay
Taiwanese R&B singer David Tao will give a concert March 14 at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center.
Tao is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop industry.
Tao graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from UCLA. While working as a sales clerk, he was offered a job by Taiwanese music producer Wang Chih-ping and went back to Taiwan, initially as a writer, but later as a producer for many singers before releasing his self-titled album "David Tao" in 1997.
He has since released four more albums, a live concert recording and a compilation of his best songs.
Time: 7:30 p.m., March 14
Tickets: 280-980 yuan
Venue: Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, 3001 Binhai Boulevard, Nanshan District(南山区滨海大道3001号深圳湾体育中心)
Metro: Shekou Line, Keyuan Station (科苑站), Exit A
Joshua Bell, Alessio Bax to grace concert hall
U.S. violinist Joshua Bell will collaborate with Italian pianist Alessio Bax to perform Vitali's "Chaconne in G Minor," Beethoven's "Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op.47" and Ravel's "Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major."
Bell made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 17 with the St. Louis Symphony. Nicholas Maw's violin concerto is dedicated to Bell, who premiered it in 1993 and won a Grammy Award for his recording of the piece. He performed the solo part on John Corigliano's Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film "The Red Violin" and was also featured in "Ladies in Lavender." Bell made an appearance in the movie "Music of the Heart," a story about the power of music, with other notable violinists.
Bell's instrument is a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin called the Gibson ex Huberman, which was made in 1713 during what is known as Antonio Stradivari's "Golden Era."
Bell was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize on April 10, 2007, at Lincoln Center in New York City. The prize is given once every few years to classical instrumentalists for outstanding achievement. On May 3, 2007, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced that Bell had joined the faculty as a senior lecturer.
Bax won the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan at age 19 and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 2000. Bax received the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2009. He studied at Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas, where he is currently a faculty member of the university's Meadows School of the Arts. Bax is a Steinway Artist.
Time: 8 p.m., April 14
Tickets: 180-880 yuan
Reservations: 400-610-3721
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
Here comes Jolin Tsai
Taiwanese pop singer Jolin Tsai will give a solo concert in April.
Often referred to as the "queen of pop," Tsai has achieved great popularity and fame in China and has a dedicated fan base worldwide. As a dance-pop vocalist, Tsai is cited as an influence on dance-pop music in China.
Tsai began her singing career by winning the top prize in an MTV singing competition at the tender age of 18. Her debut album in 1999 was a huge success and Tsai quickly became an idol in Asia. Her fifth album, "Magic" (2003), is regarded as one of her biggest successes so far, right after the album "Dancing Diva" (2006), which sold over 2 million copies in Asia. After several successful albums and dozens of hits, she released her latest album "Play" in 2014.
Tsai is one of the top earners among Taiwanese celebrities and she has sold more than 23 million albums and won numerous awards across Asia, including Best Mandarin Female Singer and Most Popular Female Singer at the prestigious 18th Golden Melody Awards.
Time: 7:30 p.m., April 16
Tickets: 380-880 yuan
Venue: Gymnasium of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, 3001 Binhai Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区滨海大道3001号深圳湾体育中心体育馆)
Metro: Shekou Line, Keyuan Station (科苑站), Exit A
US Twins to give piano concert
American twins Christina and Michelle Naughton will give a piano concert in early May at the Shenzhen Concert Hall.
The sisters were trained at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School. They earned bachelor's degrees in solo piano performance in 2011 at Curtis, where they both received the Festorazzi Prize. They earned master's degrees from Juilliard in 2013. Pianist Joseph Kalichstein taught the sisters at Juilliard and remarked, "When they play together, they seem to have one mind and one body — it's extraordinary — like one person with two hands playing."
The Naughtons' professional career was launched in 2010 with debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Mann Center for Performing Arts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, after which The Philadelphia Inquirer described them as "paired to perfection." In 2011, they performed in Munich's Herkulessaal and began to establish their reputation outside of the United States.
The Naughtons released their first album, "Piano Duets," on the German label Orfeo in 2012. It was praised by Der Spiegel for a performance that "stands out with unique harmony and sings out with stylistic confidence."
Time: 8 p.m., May 7
Tickets: 80-280 yuan
Reservations:400-610-3721
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
Naturally 7 to sing a cappella
American music group Naturally 7 will present a night of a cappella May 21 at the Shenzhen Concert Hall.
Naturally 7 has a distinct a cappella style. They simulate the sounds of an instrumental band using only their voices, mouths and distortion effects. Naturally 7 was founded in 1999 by brothers Roger and Warren Thomas, who recruited five other singers the brothers had come to know over the years.
Roger Thomas developed his singing quality after being in and out of several and traditional male groups over the years. When the group was invited to sing at a major a cappella competition in New York City, they won and moved onto the nationals before they took two more wins in the competition. Riding their new-found success and still having made no decision whether to have Naturally 7 as an a cappella group or a traditional band, Roger had the novel idea that the group would become both.
Naturally 7 has released a number of albums over the years since the formation in New York City in 1999, including their first debut studio album entitled "Non-Fiction" released in 2000, "What Is It" released in 2003, "Christmas ... It's a Love Story" released in 2004, and "Ready II Fly" in 2006.
The group gained success by the partial cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," titled as "Feel It (In the Air Tonight)," which contains additional lyrics from the group. The performance of the song at a subway has received over 4.5 million hits on YouTube alone, and the number of people discovering the group adds to that figure daily. The single itself has turned into a chart topper in countries outside North America such as France, Belgium and South Africa and made singles charts in other European countries.
In January 2009, the group released "Wall of Sound" as an exclusive special album in the United Kingdom and Ireland to commemorate their participation at the Royal Variety Performance.
The group appeared on "The Late Late Show" with Craig Ferguson, performing "Stardust" with Michael Buble. In November 2009, the group traveled to Bermuda to take part in Quincy Jones' 2009 Bermuda Music Festival, performing before an enthusiastic crowd.
Time: 8 p.m., May 21
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
Reservations: 400-610-3721
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
Korean a cappella band to sing
Calling themselves "Exit," the five-person a cappella outfit from South Korea will perform at the Shenzhen Concert Hall in the heat of summer.
Hoping to help listeners "exit" mundane life and feel freedom in music, the band has a versatile style that ranges from K-pop, folk, classical to rock and roll.
Founded in 2008, members of the all men's group were in the same high school choir. They were the champion of an a cappella competition in their home country in 2009 and international competitions in Shanghai and in Taiwan in 2012.
They were also frequent guests at a cappella music festivals in China and Japan.
Local music fans will be able to hear their popular songs "Isn't She Lovely," "You're in My Heart," "Every Day With You" and "Beautiful World."
The group's repertoire mixes in English, Korean and even Spanish songs, which explains why they are popular on YouTube.
The youngest member specializes in beat boxing while the soprano has a vocal range that allows him to hit notes as high as many female singers.
They are also great at talking with the audience members and making them an organic part of their performance. Even those who can't understand their language can feel the chemistry in the air while at their show.
Fans who buy tickets before next Tuesday will be able to enjoy a 15-percent discount and those who buy the three-show package at the concert hall are eligible for 20 percent off.
Time: 8 p.m., June 26
Tickets: 80-280 yuan
Reservations: 400-610-3721
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
Reading Month
The Shenzhen Municipal Government has designated every November as Reading Month, a cultural extravaganza. It's the longest reading-themed festival in the world. During the month, visitors can find various activities being held at Shenzhen Book City CBD Store.
Add: Shenzhen Book City CBD Store, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳书城)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
Creative December
Creative December has been held every December since 2005 with the joint effort of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the City of Design Promotion Office of Shenzhen. More than 100 events related to design, arts and culture, and architecture are held in forms of exhibitions, lectures, competitions and performances within the month.
Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture
This event is sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Government and organized by Shenzhen Public Art Center. It is an interactive cultural event between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the only international biennale that concerns on urbanism and urbanization in the world.
ICIF Art Festival
An important part of China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, the ICIF festival displays shows by elite artists from home and abroad. The fair also is designed to provide an international platform for original works by Chinese artists and to prosper local literary and artistic creation.
Performance Seasons of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra: Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra has been staging summer and winter seasons since 1999. The orchestra gives more than 30 concerts every year.
Beautiful Sunday
Sponsored by the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport and Tourism and hosted by Shenzhen Concert Hall, the Beautiful Sunday project provides free concerts staged at Shenzhen Concert Hall at 3 p.m. every Sunday.
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Longhua or Longgang Line, Children's Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D