Something in the air as festival attracts global talent

Shanghai will host some big-name artists from all over the world at an upcoming music festival, with the premiere of new compositions and arrangements.

Music in the Summer Air, or MISA, is a festival held by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which will take place from Monday to July 15.

The 24 live concerts and an extensive collection of other music events around Shanghai will feature artists and ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, cellists Wang Jian and Qin Liwei, violinist Ning Feng, pianist Zhang Haochen, harpsichordist Fabio Bonizzoni and the Makoto Ozone Jazz Quartet.

A vintage program card in the archives of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra shows that Mario Paci, then director of the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra, conducted the orchestra and played a concert at Hongkew Park, now known as Lu Xun Park, on a summer evening in 1926.

The program card is the earliest documentation of summer outdoor concerts in Shanghai, says Zhou Ping, director of the orchestra.

"If we count from that concert, the tradition of summer outdoor concerts has carried on for almost a century in Shanghai."

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 145th birthday this year and its 15th installment of the MISA festival.

"The orchestra has come a long way, following the development of urban civilization in Shanghai. Step-by-step, we have helped to bring people and music closer, which has become an indispensable part of everyday life in the city," Zhou says.

MISA, jointly hosted by the orchestra and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, is a cross-genre music festival centered on classical music committed to integrating it into the urban lifestyle and cultural scenes.