Listings

The Reminders Tour

Date: Dec 25－7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Tianqiao Performance Art Center

Price: 99-660 yuan

The Reminders are a rare and remarkable musical duo seamlessly blending soulful sounds and roots music with insightful messages and thoughtful lyrics. The group consists of Brusselsborn emcee Big Samir and Queensborn emcee/vocalist Aja Black, a collective creative force that's hard to beat. Big Samir weaves intricate rhythmic patterns with a bilingual French/English flow, displaying his streetsmart credibility in both his lyrics and cool demeanor. This is beautifully complimented by Aja Black's confident delivery, diverse cadences, and unique vocal stylings. The two have an undeniable magical chemistry as they share more than lyrical abilities and stages; the couple shares a partnership in both music and life as Samir and Aja have been married for almost a decade. Releasing their debut album Recollect in 2008 and their latest Born Champions in 2012, the Reminders have been recognized and applauded for their work internationally through concerts, tours, music awards, TV and radio appearances, and their incredible and dedicated fan base. Having shared the stage with artists such as Les Nubians, Snoop Dogg, Fishbone, Barrington Levy, Nas, Mos Def, Big Boi, KRS-One, Rakim, K'Naan, and others, the Reminders have established a firm place in today's ever-evolving music scene, garnering international acclaim while paving a path all their own. Beyond performances and appearances, the duo is constantly and actively engaged with community organizations, schools, and universities delivering workshops, talks, and specially catered performances.

Contact: 400-610-3721

NCPA New Year's Concert

Date: Dec 31－11:00 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 200-1,080 yuan

Zhang Yi, one of today's influential young conductors in China, serves as the music director, chief conductor and deputy director of the National Ballet of China. Learning to play the violin at the age of 5, he was later recommended to Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied conducting with Professor Xu Xin and Professor Ji Ruikai. From 2000 to 2003, he earned his Master's Degree in the Saarbrucken HFM: Hochschule fur Musik Saar, where he learned with Professor Max Pommer, a renowned German conductor. As a major young conductor in China, Zhang has performed in hundreds of concerts, operas and ballets. During the past two decades, he has cooperated with lots of orchestras at home and abroad, including China National Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra etc. In his performances around the world, Zhang collaborated with numerous artists such as Emmanuel Pahud, Wenzel Fuchs, Renaud Capucon, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Myung Wha Chung, Sarah Chang, Lang Lang, Chen Sa, Ning Feng and Li Weiqin. Aiming to make more Chinese music and musicians known worldwide, Zhang conducted for the recording of Ye Xiaogang's symphony works New Music from China with Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2002, which was published by Wergo (Germany). In 2013, he went to London with the cellist Qin Liwei and collaborated with London Philharmonic Orchestra to record Britain music works. The record was published by DEECA Music Group. Fascinated in modern music, he conducted many world premieres of Chinese and foreign works. In May 2012, he was given the "Award of Outstanding Contribution" at the Beijing Modern Music Festival for his numerous performances of Chinese and western modern music pieces.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

Chinese Young Choreographers' Works

Date: Dec 2-3－7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 120-240 yuan

The dance theater Beijing-Hong Kong Correspondence, which was co-created by young artists of the two places, was launched by the Young Artist Program with the Hong Kong Arts Festival. The most active young choreographers and dancers in the mainland and Hong Kong acted out three different versions of love, friendship and domestic affection in the contemporary artistic form of expression under the theme of "Man and City" through the exchange and collision among different cultural backgrounds, knowledge structures and creative ways.

Contact: 400-610-3721