China News: The 29th Beijing Music Festival ran from 9 to 20 October 2026, bringing nearly 700 artists from 32 countries to the Chinese capital for 12 performances built around Mozart’s 270th birth anniversary, including a new production of The Magic Flute set in a modern subway station.
Key facts
- The 29th edition opened on 9 October at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, with Charles Dutoit conducting and Elisabeth Leonskaja as piano soloist.
- Organisers listed nearly 700 artists and nine orchestras and ensembles from 32 countries, according to the Beijing municipal government.
- A four-company co-production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute played the China National Opera House on 10 and 11 October.
- The London Philharmonic Orchestra was orchestra-in-residence; Handel’s Giulio Cesare followed in a semi-staged version at the Poly Theatre on 18 October.
- The closing night on 20 October was billed as “Classical Rock”, pairing the Beijing Symphony Orchestra with rock musician Cui Jian.
A Mozart year on the opera stage
The festival opened with Mozart. On the evening of 9 October, the 90-year-old Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit led the Beijing Music Festival Orchestra in the Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482, with the Austrian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, CGTN reported. Beijing News, citing the organisers, said the festival orchestra for that night was built around the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
The headline theatrical event came a day later. Shuang Zou, the festival’s artistic director, staged The Magic Flute as a contemporary “urban mythology” set in a subway station, with Dane Lam, music director of State Opera South Australia, in the pit. The production is shared by four houses in three regions: the Beijing Music Festival, Opera Hong Kong, the China National Opera House and State Opera South Australia. The festival’s own listing gives a running time of about two and a half hours, sung in German with Chinese and English surtitles, and ticket tiers from 180 to 880 (the page does not state the currency).
The cast was international. Anthony Gregory sang Tamino, Sofia Troncoso was Pamina, John Chest played Papageno, Aigul Khismatullina took the Queen of the Night and Teddy Tahu Rhodes sang Sarastro. Zou’s own summary, quoted by OperaWire, was blunt: “Mozart is for everyone.”
What else did the Beijing Music Festival programme?
The schedule was compact. Twelve main performances over twelve days left room for a wider public programme across the city.
| Date (October 2026) | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Opening concert: Dutoit, Leonskaja, Mozart K. 482 | National Centre for the Performing Arts |
| 10–11 | The Magic Flute, new co-production | China National Opera House |
| 12–13 | London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner; baritone Liao Changyong (12th) | Beijing |
| 14 | Anoushka Shankar and Friends | Poly Theatre |
| 18 | Handel, Giulio Cesare (semi-staged), Laurence Cummings | Poly Theatre |
| 20 | Closing gala “Classical Rock”: Yang Yang, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Ju Xiaofu, Cui Jian | Beijing |
The sources do not fully agree on the count. The Beijing government’s English portal lists 12 performances, while Beijing News described “more than 10” high-level shows plus more than 20 public-welfare events. Accounts also differ on whether the “Blue Bird Project” showcase for emerging artists at the Temple of Heaven fell on 18 or 19 October.
One booking stood out for BRICS audiences. Sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi Shankar, gave a concert at the Poly Theatre on 14 October, one of the few non-Western classical voices on a bill dominated by European repertoire.
Parks, malls and a ticket with a museum
According to the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, quoted by Beijing News, this year’s plan combined “professional venues, commercial districts and public spaces”. In practice that meant youth ensembles at the Shell Theatre in Chaoyang Park, pop-up events at Taikoo Li Sanlitun and The Box, masterclasses at the Capital Library of China and livestreamed main concerts. A combined ticket linked the festival to the Capital Museum’s exhibition on ancient Maya and Andean civilisations, and a “Travel with Music” itinerary targeted visitors from other provinces.
The festival was founded in 1998 by conductor Yu Long, who now chairs its artistic committee. Its first concert, by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, took place in the Great Hall of the People.
Our view: the move into shopping streets and parks is the sensible part of this edition. A dozen premium concerts reach a few thousand people; open rehearsals, student discounts on the Maoyan platform and free youth stages are how a classical festival keeps a younger audience in a city where pop and livestreaming dominate leisure spending. The subway-set Magic Flute fits the same logic. It is also a co-production model that other houses in the Global South, from Cairo to Johannesburg, could copy to share costs.
For more coverage, see our music section, our theatre pages and our report on the Festival do Rio 2026 winners.
FAQ
When was the 2026 Beijing Music Festival held?
The 29th edition ran from 9 to 20 October 2026, opening at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and closing with a “Classical Rock” gala on 20 October.
Why was Mozart the focus?
2026 marks the 270th anniversary of Mozart’s birth in 1756. The opening concerto, The Magic Flute and a London Philharmonic programme of arias all centred on his music.
Who organises the festival?
It is hosted by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government and organised by the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau with the Beijing International Music Festival Art Foundation.
Sources: Beijing Municipal Government; CGTN; Beijing News; Beijing Music Festival; OperaWire; The World of Chinese.
