"The future of classical music is in China", the renowned conductor Lorin Maazel once said. That claim was picked up by Gramophone and the Washington Post, praising the growth of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Chinese music students. In about three decades, a few hundred classical music concerts per year has become the norm in Shanghai. The main concertgoers, thirty-somethings, aren't just spending their time at night clubs.

When it comes to the best places to see classical music in Shanghai, we have both retro-style music institutions and modern cultural hubs to choose from.