上海大歌剧院开启城市表演艺术新时代 - 2026年10月19日

It was a weekend to remember for Shanghai's performing arts scene: The brand-new Shanghai Grand Opera House officially opened on Saturday evening with a gala ceremony and concert marking the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The same day also saw the formal launch of the Shanghai Performing Arts Group.

The eagerly awaited opening concert brought together an array of celebrated singers from China and abroad, performing alongside the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera House Chorus and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.

With a lineup of nearly 200 performers, the evening inaugurated a new chapter for Shanghai's performing arts through a program of symphonic and vocal music.

The stage design drew inspiration from the motif of a "Chinese fan," echoing the striking exterior of the Shanghai Grand Opera House. Three conductors – Yu Long, Zhang Guoyong and Xu Zhong – took turns leading the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus.

The concert opened with Lu Qiming's "Ode to the Red Flag," followed by opera excerpts in Italian, French, German and other languages. The Chinese song "China in the Lights" was performed in choral form for the first time.

Highlights of the evening included Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez's excerpt from L'elisir d'amore; solos and ensemble numbers by baritone Liao Changyong and tenor Shi Yijie; and a rendition of the famous "Nessun dorma" from "Turandot" by four Chinese singers.

"All artists from around the world will feel inspired to perform here," said Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg, who was visiting China for the first time. "I also look forward to bringing more operatic works to this theater in the future."

In a creative touch, the Shanghai Grand Opera House transformed its first-floor space into an "opera lobby," hosting live concerts before the main performance and as the audience departed – adding a bright note to a memorable evening.

Breaking down the boundary between the stage and public space, and truly connecting the theater with ordinary people – this is the self-positioning and mandate of the Shanghai Grand Opera House.

As a new cultural landmark in Shanghai, the Grand Opera House – home to Asia's largest and most advanced stage facilities – will present 47 productions in its inaugural season through February, spanning opera, concerts, dance, traditional Chinese opera and other categories.

It will serve not only as a premiere venue for world-renowned art companies but also as a home stage for local artistic forces. Original works produced by 18 municipal performing arts troupes will meet audiences from across the country and around the world here, showcasing Eastern philosophy and Shanghai-style aesthetics.

"We hope the Shanghai Grand Opera House will become a cultural living room for local residents and visitors from across the country," said Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Opera House. "People can come not only to see performances but also to visit exhibitions, watch rehearsals and participate in art education activities."

The inauguration ceremony of the new Shanghai Performing Arts Group was also held at the Shanghai Grand Opera House.

Years ago, Shanghai set the goal of becoming Asia's capital of performing arts, and its performance market has continued to flourish. Over the past three years, the number of commercial performances in Shanghai has successively crossed the milestones of 40,000, 50,000 and 60,000, while box office revenue has climbed to about 6 billion yuan (US$897 million), ranking first among Chinese cities.

With the opening of the Grand Opera House, Shanghai's performing arts infrastructure has reached a new level, and the establishment of the Shanghai Performing Arts Group will further help enhance the city's soft power in the performing arts.

The artistic quality of productions depends on creativity, while the harmonious assembly of a production team depends on production capability. The former relies on artists, and the latter on producers.

The group will continue the "one troupe, one policy" approach, reconfiguring the creativity of Shanghai's performing arts troupes, the development model of theater clusters, the resource-allocation function of festivals and events, and the ecosystem of the performing arts industry, so as to build an "aircraft carrier of the performing arts" and raise the city's average annual number of performances to 65,000.

In July, Shanghai conducted a concentrated survey and inventory of classic repertoire of 18 state-owned performing arts troupes across the city, which was ultimately compiled into "A Compendium of Classic Repertoire of Shanghai Municipal State-Owned Performing Arts Troupes."

The compendium includes 1,358 stage works and represents the first systematic, full-coverage review of the repertoire of Shanghai's state-owned troupes. It creates an archive for the inheritance and development of these troupes and showcases the development origins, artistic schools and creative practices of their respective genres.

Focusing on original creation and standing shoulder to shoulder with the public, Shanghai's performing arts industry is ready to open a new chapter.

Source: City News Service