Swire Properties And The Beijing Music Festival Celebrate 15 Years Of Partnership, Promoting Music And Cultural Exchange

This October marks Swire Properties’ 15^th consecutive year supporting China’s preeminent classical music mega-event, the Beijing Music Festival (BMF), which is now in its 27^th edition. This year’s Festival is set to be an open platform for dynamic international collaboration which will, once again, promote cultural exchange and global discourse on music.

Featuring a “Voices from Afar” theme, the 2024 edition of the BMF comprises 10 concerts and musical charity events across an eclectic range of genres. Presented by renowned artists and groups from around the world, highlights include Chinese classical folk music such as “A Hundred Birds From East and West Pay Tribute to the Phoenix”; with all concerts paying tribute to the 75^th Anniversary of the founding of The People's Republic of China.

As a Strategic Partner, Swire Properties is also supporting outstanding students and school orchestras so they can practice, perform and learn from BMF’s guest musicians. In particular, two school orchestras – from a primary and high school adjacent to the Company’s developments in Beijing – performed at an international level. The aim is to inspire them to pursue their musical interests further.

Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties, said, “We’re delighted to be celebrating 15 years of close partnership with the Beijing Music Festival, a collaboration that has brought so many world-class and inspiring musical experiences to Beijing over the years. Our work with the BMF resounds strongly with our commitment to placemaking and to making arts and culture a part of everyday life. Through our efforts, we hope to nurture vibrant and sustainable communities where people can thrive. Moving forward, we look forward to bringing even more innovative art experiences to the community to help the city’s talented youth expand their cultural horizons.”

Yu Long, Chairman of the Artistic Committee of the BMF, said, “The Beijing Music Festival and Swire Properties share a powerful vision, to create a rich and vibrant culture for the greater Beijing community. Through our collaboration we have brought classical music to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and made music a part of everyday life here. This year, we’re pleased to deepen our collaboration by involving local students and school orchestras, and bring people from diverse backgrounds even closer. We look forward to exploring further opportunities and broadening our collective reach to contribute positively to society.”

HIGHLIGHTS

This year’s performances will take place at famed and popular locations such as the Beijing Central Axis – which was recently placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; and will include sightseeing and gastronomy elements to raise this cultural experience to the next level for our audiences.

Other highpoints include the China premiere of “Porgy and Bess” – which is set to be a semi-staged production of the classic opera; and Andy Akiho’s virtuosic piece for percussion quartet “Seven Pillars”, performed by Sandbox Percussion. The Festival will also feature two commissioned works that explore Chinese cultural themes – “Jiu Ge” and “Immortal Love”, and a show by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis – a nine-time Grammy Award winner and Pulitzer Prize for Music recipient.  

As part of its extended placemaking efforts, Swire Properties supports various art and cultural institutions to help nurture the cultural landscape in the cities where it operates. The goal is to foster an appreciation for arts and culture and history in local communities.

In Shanghai, the Company has a partnership with the Museum of Art Pudong to promote exciting arts and culture. In Xi’an, Swire Properties has signed a three-year collaboration with the Xi’an Museum to jointly preserve and promote local culture and history. The “Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme”, an initiative by the Hong Kong Palace Museum, is also supported by the Company as the Lead Sponsor; with the programme cultivating the next generation of visionary cultural leaders and promoting the dissemination of Chinese arts and heritage.