This year, the composer will return with his contemporary percussion piece Seven Pillars to perform at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on Oct 11. Commissioned and performed by Grammy-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion, the 80-minute, 11-movement suite for percussion comprises seven quartets around four solos that reflect the personality of each performer.

"The concert will be staged at one of the most popular concert halls in the capital, which is located inside Zhongshan Park. We look forward to having Beijing audiences interact with the performers onstage during the show while enjoying trailblazing work that redefines how one listens to and experiences music," says Zou.

One of the highlights of the program will be the semi-staged opera Porgy and Bess, a vibrant, lively and moving presentation of Gershwin's famous opera, which will close this year's festival on Oct 12 and 13.

"The backbone of the production is the chorus of the Cape Town Opera. The opera reflects the particular intensity and energy of South African singers," says Zou, adding that the new version will highlight the singers, "bringing their extraordinary voices, hearts and souls to their performances".

It will be staged at the Divine Music Administration inside the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420, the Divine Music Administration is one of the five major structures at the imperial sacrificial altar and was the highest ritual music academy for imperial sacrificial music.

On Oct 10, a concert of African choral music will be put on by the Cape Town Opera Chorus under the baton of conductor and pianist Jose Dias.

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