New Oriental Chinese Music Scene returns to Shanghai Concert Hall for its seventh residency season, combining Chinese music, lighting, and immersive stage visuals in a contemporary concert experience. Presented by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, the production features nine original Shanghai-style folk music works performed in a multimedia setting.

About the Show

From July 21 to August 1, 2026, New Oriental Chinese Music Scene returns for its seventh residency season. Guided by the Shanghai Grand Theatre Art Center and jointly presented by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra and Shanghai Concert Hall, the production continues its long-running residency with a cumulative total of 162 performances.

The concert combines Chinese folk music, lighting design, and stage visuals to create an immersive theatrical concert experience. Through the integration of traditional Chinese aesthetics and contemporary stage technology, the production presents a series of original Shanghai-style folk music works spanning different moods and musical textures.

The visual design extends beyond the traditional stage frame and expands throughout the theatre space, combining music and imagery into a multi-dimensional performance environment. Audiences can expect a blend of orchestral Chinese music, digital visual presentation, and spatial staging throughout the performance.

Please note that every audience member requires a ticket. Infants in arms are not admitted.

Performers

Shanghai Chinese Orchestra

Founded in 1952, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra is China’s first large-scale modern Chinese orchestra. The orchestra is known for its Shanghai-style Chinese music tradition and has played a significant role in the development of contemporary Chinese folk orchestral music.

Over the decades, the orchestra has created and premiered numerous original productions and concert works, while also touring internationally in countries including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Russia, Mexico, Spain, and Australia.

In recent years, the orchestra has focused on combining traditional Chinese music with contemporary artistic expression, creating productions such as Magnificent China, New Oriental Chinese Music Scene, The Land Woven in Verse, and The Sound of Oriental Wisdom.

Event Program

Essence of the Past

Adapted from Divine Melody
Original Composer: Qu Xiaosong
Adaptation: Wang Fujian

The Path of Water

Composer: Huang Ke

The Dance of Fire

Composers: Huang Lei, Huang Ke

Spirit of Chinese Calligraphy

Composer: Luo Xiaoci

Landscape

Composer: Wang Yunfei

Song of Departure

Adapted from the ancient pieces The Conqueror Unarms and Besieged
Creation and Adaptation: Huang Lei, Yu Bing

Into the Beyond

Composer: Huang Lei

Flying Bees

Adapted from Flight of the Bumblebee
Original Composer: Rimsky Korsakov
Creation and Adaptation: Kong Zhixuan

Silk Road

Composer: Jiang Ying

Programs and artists are subject to change.

Why Go

This production offers a contemporary presentation of Chinese folk orchestral music through a combination of live performance, stage visuals, and immersive theatre design. Rather than a traditional seated concert alone, the show integrates lighting, digital imagery, and spatial staging to create a more visually driven experience.

For audiences curious about modern interpretations of Chinese folk music, or those interested in large-scale multimedia concert productions, New Oriental Chinese Music Scene presents a chance to experience Shanghai-style folk music in a contemporary theatre setting.