Led by conductor Zheng Jian (front), the Beijing Master Choir performs patriotic and folk songs in Beijing on March 7, kicking off a series of concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Under the baton of conductor Zheng Jian, the all-male Beijing Master Choir performed patriotic and folk songs during a performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing on March 7. This kicked off a series of concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The repertoire included classics such as, Sing a Folk Song to the Party, which was first released in 1963 and written by Zhu Jian'er and Jiao Ping; Song of the Red Star, which was featured in the 1974's Chinese movie Sparkling Red Star, directed by Li Ang and Li Jun; and Nanniwan, which was released in 1943 and written by He Jingzhi and Ma Ke.

"These songs are timeless and well-known among Chinese music lovers. We've rearranged them for the choir, whose performance gives them a fresh new sound," says Zheng.

The newly founded choir, of more than 60 young classically trained singers, made its debut at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing on Sept 29, 2020.

It will tour Beijing, Tianjin and cities in Hebei province with 10 concerts during the first half of 2021.

According to Zheng, who is the co-founder and artistic director of the choir, more Chinese folk songs will be included, such as those written by the late musician Wang Luobin (1913-96), which are inspired by the folk music of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Led by conductor Zheng Jian, the Beijing Master Choir performs patriotic and folk songs in Beijing on March 7, kicking off a series of concerts celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

According to Xu Jian, general manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall, co-organizer of the ongoing tour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, 10 concerts are being held from March 7 to July 1, covering a variety of art forms, such as symphony, traditional Chinese music, dance and piano recitals.

"Over the past century, the Party has made a great commitment to bettering the lives of the people. We will celebrate together with classic works," says Xu.

On April 10, conductor Zheng will lead the symphony orchestra and singers from the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater in a gala, titled Dongfang Hong (The East Is Red).

This is a restaging of the classic gala, which was performed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 1964, marking the 15th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China.

With more than 3,000 people performing at the event, including dancers, singers and orchestras, the gala accommodated 14 shows.

To reach an even wider audience, it was turned into a movie by the August First Film Studio in 1965, and was met with huge success.

On Dec 26, 2020, the new version of the 1964 gala premiered at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, which received warm feedback from nostalgic fans.

"All the artists performing in the gala are very young; they maintain the legacy," says Zheng.

"When the audiences sing along with us during the gala, it is very exciting.

"We hope to pay tribute to those people who made a contribution to the development of the country."

On June 17, Long March Suite, a large-scale symphonic and choral concert, will be held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall under the baton of Zheng.

Written by Xiao Hua (1916-85) in 1965, the Long March Suite commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the Long March, an epic strategic transfer by the three Red Armies of China-the First Front, the Second Front and the Fourth Front-that took place in 1934 and 1935.

According to Xu, both Dongfang Hong and the concert of the Long March Suite will tour nationally with 25 performances in total.