The 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Italy and China
Shanghai, November 24, 2020. The Ambassador of Italy to China Luca Ferrari spoke in Shanghai at the opening of the concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Italy-China diplomatic relations, organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the Italian Cultural Institute in Shanghai, Shanghai Foreign Culture Exchange Association, and Lian Cultural, with the support of sponsors Bvlgari, Maserati, Bvlgari Hotel, Fazioli / Parsons.
Together with Luca Ferrari, the concert was opened by Sha Hailin, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and Chairman of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Michele Cecchi, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai.
This was a real Italian-Chinese "Friendship" concert, as it interweaved and blended the most familiar melodies from both Italy and China, and featured famous domestic musicians and artists.
The musical program was curated by Rachel Zhang Jiemin, conductor of a resident orchestra at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, who gained a lot of experience in Italy (she was the first female conductor at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples and at the Fenice Opera House in Venice) and by James Li Quan, famous singer and music producer from Shanghai.
The artists who performed the selected music (famous Chinese and Italian songs and arias adapted and interpreted in a jazz style) are well-known both in China and abroad. In addition to the above-mentioned James Li Quan (piano and vocals), other featured artists include internationally famous lyrical soprano Huang Ying and mezzo-soprano Zhu Huiling, accompanied by an orchestra of virtuosos conducted by Zhu Mang.
As noted by Ambassador Ferrari in his speech (preceded by the screening of a video on the highlights of the 50 years of Italy-China relations): "Due to the global epidemic, 2020 was a difficult year. But as President Xi Jinping wrote to President Mattarella difficulties are temporary, friendship is everlasting. Therefore, we have postponed the China-Italy Culture and Tourism Year originally scheduled to be held this year to 2022. Thanks to the effective control of the epidemic in China, we have successfully held a series of celebrations, like today’s concert, in full compliance with the epidemic prevention measures adopted by the Chinese authorities."
Mr. Sha Hailin, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, emphasized in his speech that today’s concert is a perfect embodiment of the mutual cooperation, cultural dialogue and people-to-people exchange between Italy and China. He underlined that the friendship between the two countries and their common commitment while facing global challenges are the embodiment of the contribution these two ancient civilizations have made for world peace and development.
The concert was combined with a promotion of Italian food and wine, which was a part of the Shanghai celebrations of the fifth Italian Cuisine Week in the World (23-29 November 2020).
Get the weekly newsletter!
Sign up to get the entertainment, lifestyle and event news from Urban Family every week!
Guide
