Chorus, symphony Tonight, the children’s chorus attached to the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will perform a concert of familiar children’s songs. The program will include “Snowflake,” “The Swing,” “The Moon” and “Spring Breeze,” among others. On Friday evening, the SZSO will perform a classical ballet concert for young music fans. Conducted by the orchestra’s assistant conductor Fang Zhongling, the concert will feature Shostakovich’s delightful “Ballet Suite No. 1,” Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake Suites” and “Sleeping Beauty Suites,” promises to take the audiences on a dreamy fairy tale-style musical journey. Fang is a rising conductor and accomplished pianist who has won piano competitions in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Chorus: 8 p.m., May 31 Symphony: 8 p.m., June 2 Booking: WeChat account “mixcworld” Venue: Theater in MixC World, Nanshan District (深圳萬象天地劇場) Metro: Line 1 to Hi-tech Park Station (高新園站), Exit A Tchaikovsky, piano recital Two performances of the same program tomorrow will take children on a tour to get to know legendary Russian composer Tchaikovsky through picture book reading and live music performance. Wang Yuanyuan, a Chinese stage and film actor, will read a picture book about Tchaikovsky, while violinist Wang Wendi, pianist Wang Xie and cellist Xie Tian will perform some of the masterpieces of the composer. The program will include excerpts from his ballets “Swan Lake,” “The Nutcracker,” and “Sleeping Beauty,” his opera “The Queen of Spades,” his piano cycle “The Seasons” and his “Symphony No. 6,” also known as the “Pathétique,” or “Passionate Symphony.” On Saturday, Li Weijie, associate professor with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, will perform the familiar pieces often required of students at piano grade exams and lecture on these works. He will perform the classical version and jazz version of Mozart’s “Turkish March,” as well as fun interpretations of Liszt’s “The Little Bell” and Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons.” The audience will also hear Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” Chopin’s “Waltz of the Little Dog,” “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov, and Joe Hisaishi’s “Summer.” Li, who graduated with a master’s degree in piano performance from the Hamburg University of Music and Theater, won several awards including the first prize at the Val Tidone International Piano Competition in Italy. Tchaikovsky: 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., June 1 Piano recital: 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., June 3 Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao” Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音樂廳) Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宮站), Exit D ‘Der Elefantenpups’ “Der Elefantenpups,” a symphony blending story and music, will be staged tomorrow and Friday. Based on a German picture book by Heidi Leenen with music by Christian Klaessen, “Der Elefantenpups” follows a friendly animal keeper, his elephant and his zoo friends as they explore the world of musical instruments and genres, such as jazz, blues and more. Time: 7:30 p.m., June 1; 8 p.m., June 2 Booking: WeChat account “深圳濱海藝術中心” Venue: Bay Opera of Shenzhen, Bao’an District (深圳濱海藝術中心) Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (寶華站), Exit A ‘Magic School Bus’ Join Ms. Frizzle and her students as they follow the trail of water, from its sky-high source to the school bathroom sink on this wet and wild fieldtrip. Hop on the Magic School Bus for a ride in this new children’s play adaptation based on the original book “Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks” published by Scholastic. Time: 7:30 p.m., June 1 Booking: WeChat account “juchengwangluo” Venue: Nanshan Culture and Sports Center, Nanshan District (南山文體中心) Metro: Line 1 or 12 to Taoyuan Station (桃園站), Exit B Performances ‘La Cenerentola’ The high-definition video of the opera “La Cenerentola” will be shown. “La Cenerentola,” Rossini’s take on the classic fairy tale “Cinderella,” is considered to be one of his greatest operatic achievements. In Emma Dante’s production, she outlined a mix of traditional with modern elements such as pop surrealism, which is certain to be full of surprises. Time: 3 p.m., June 3 Booking: WeChat account “PingShanTheatre” Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山大劇院) Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山廣場站), Exit D1 Children’s play, concerts You can explore the big blue world with this lively Chinese children’s play based on the beloved animation “Finding Nemo 2” tomorrow. And Chinese violinist Yao Jue, artistic director of the Hong Kong String Orchestra, will present Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and a few Chinese pieces Friday. On Saturday, the theater’s youth orchestra will play easy-listening tunes by Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Brahms as well as a few Hollywood movie scores. Children’s play: 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m., June 1 Yao Jue: 8 p.m., June 2 Orchestra: 7:30 p.m., June 3 Booking: WeChat account “深圳大劇院票務在線” Venue: Shenzhen Grand Theater, Luohu District (深圳大劇院) Metro: Line 1 or 2 to Grand Theater Station (大劇院站), Exit C (Li Dan, Cao Zhen) Events Children’s Maker Festival A maker festival this weekend will light children’s creative fires and allow them to explore projects in areas such as arts, crafts, science, engineering, design and technology. The maker festival will inspire creators of all ages. Time: 9:30-noon, 2-6 p.m., June 3-4 Venue: Honey Park, Futian District (香蜜公園) Metro: Line 7 to Nonglin Station (農林站), Exit C New play venue The Shenzhen Women and Children Building, which has been renovated into a multi-functional venue, will be put into use starting tomorrow. Children can explore nature, Shenzhen and the world in the exploration halls or read books in the spacious library inside the building. Two small theaters will stage plays in the future and there are also convenience stores, fast food and beverage stores, lifestyle stores, a hotel, a gallery and service stations for women’s and children’s rights. Venue: Shenzhen Women and Children Building, Futian District (深圳婦兒大廈) Metro: Line 2 or 9 to Jingtian Station (景田站), Exit C Science activities Blow your children’s minds by experiencing VR games and making space models at the Bao’an Youth Palace where more science activities will be held to spark children’s curiosity. Time: 9 a.m.-noon, 2-5 p.m., June 1 Venue: Bao’an Youth Palace, Bao’an District (寶安青少年宮) Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (寶華站), Exit A1 Park fun The Children’s Park near Dongmen is famous for its high slides and many free or cheap games (only 3-10 yuan a ticket). There will be performances, a painting contest and a chess competition in the park tomorrow. Entry is free. Venue: Children’s Park, Luohu District (兒童公園) Metro: Line 3 to Shaibu Station (曬布站), Exit C Free sightseeing bus tours Children younger than 14 years old can ride Shenzhen sightseeing buses free of charge tomorrow by showing proof of age. Clowns will appear on some buses to give balloons to children. At 3 p.m. tomorrow, the Lang Lang Music Bus, on which a live concert will be held, will depart from the Window of the World Metro Station Exit H. Shenzhen Bus Group’s five regular sightseeing bus lines (Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Green) are strongly recommended for travelers who desire a one- or two-day city tour. Each double-decker sightseeing bus has a transparent glass roof to ensure your enjoyment of the colorful sights in the city. (Cao Zhen) | 