Improvised concert thrills Shanghai neighborhood

An improvised concert in an old downtown neighborhood attracted wide public interest in Shanghai.

Violinist Deng Yinying and cellist Wang Jiayan played at an open shed that used to be a shop by Anhua Road on the evening of July 7.

"We didn't rehearse. Please forgive us for the improvised performance," Deng said to the dozens of people sitting across the street.

With no microphone or proper stage lighting, they played a program combining classical music with movie and popular music pieces, such as Salut d'Amour, Fly Me to the Moon, and Can't Take My Eyes off You.

The mini concert went on for no more than an hour till 8 o'clock, but when video clips of it were posted on Chinese social media such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, they received more than 18,000 "likes" and were viewed by 800,000 within days.

"Art is everywhere in the city. ... The noise of the traffic can't stop the flow of beauty and kindness", "Share music and art while you enjoy the evening breeze in the hot summertime. ... I feel like going back in time by decades, when neighbors used to gather in the lane and watch TV together", and "the sound of music fits well with the shop sign next door, such a beautiful ray of soft light in the dark night", reads some of the comments on Douyin.

"It reminds me of my childhood singing with my buddies in the country backyard," Liao Changyong, president of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, told Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily after seeing the video. "It was the most simple and natural thing to do, and a spontaneous expression of our love for music and life."

"Many artists want to draw audiences closer to the stage," said Professor Zhao Guang with Shanghai Conservatory of Music. "In this video, musicians perform in a humble roadside shop, and people just sit across the street enjoying the music. Such artistic ambience is all over the city of Shanghai," he said.

The musicians were invited by Together Social Club, a lifestyle and hobby group. "We believe art and beauty is to be found everywhere in the city," according to Benjamin Lee, a former advertising worker from Taiwan, and co-founder of the club.

Since its founding three years ago, the club has brought together a group of "creative, curious people who love to share what they are passionate about", Lee told China Daily.

The club held colorful events such as techno tai chi performances, "city boogie" street dancing sessions and free concerts.

"We would like to engage the neighbors, and share the fun and our hobby with more people," Lee said.

Guo Zhao, a pianist who gave a concert at the same location in June, said, "I remember seeing among the audience a delivery guy on the motorbike".

"He returned after a while, maybe after completing the delivery. And then he stayed listening for a long time. I could tell he was taken by the music. It was great to have someone listening like that when you made music."

In the coming weeks, Together Social Club plans to hold another neighborhood concert. "People used to come up to us and ask whether they could play with us, so we decided to invite the music-playing neighbors, children and grown-ups to take the stage.

"It doesn't matter if their performances were not perfect. The shared feeling of beauty and kindness is what matters the most," he said.