Strings sing online in spring

The first online concert's theme was "the late spring". It also celebrated the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, NCPA Orchestra director Ren Xiaolong says.

"Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the National Center for Performing Arts has canceled or postponed all of its shows and public events since late January," he says.

"We've been thinking about how to get in touch with our audiences. So, we're presenting these online concerts."

The first livestreamed performance's viewer numbers exceeded his expectations, he says.

Ren has worked with the NCPA since 2009.

The NCPA Orchestra performs about 100 shows around the world a year.

"We've reached out to a bigger audience through the online concerts. That is, people who may not be classical music fans but are interested in it," Ren says.

"Music brings people joy and strength, especially when they're struggling in their lives. I can still remember the first concert that conductor Yu Long and the China Philharmonic Orchestra gave after SARS in 2003. It featured Mahler's Second Symphony in C Minor (The Resurrection). We want to comfort people with music during this difficult time."