Musical festival promises variety of acts

The 31th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival will feature dozens of performances from April 28 to May 18.

The festival will continue its focus on providing opportunities for emerging musicians and encouraging original works, according to Zhang Minquan, vice secretary general of the festival committee.

Zhang said they are bringing back awards for new talents and outstanding original works after they had been shelved for years.

"The committee will help promote the prize winners with follow-up programs like concerts, albums and other related projects," he said.

Apart from concerts by artists like Liao Changyong and Shanghai Ballet, overseas artists like US pianist Burnett Thompson, Portugese singer Katie Guerreiro, and violinist Roby Lakatos will also take part in the festival.

About 3,500 inexpensive tickets will go on sale from this Friday to Sunday from 9am-5pm. Each person can purchase tickets for up to four concerts. The cheapest ticket will cost 20 yuan.

Visit www.ssimf.org for more information.