BBC Concert Orchestra

There is no better way to welcome the New Year than with loved ones amid beautiful music, and it’s almost a tradition of our young city to have multiple musical choices during this festive season. Between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, five concerts performed by three prestigious orchestras alongside sought-after soloists will grace the stage of Shenzhen Concert Hall.

On Dec. 29, the Philharmonic Orchestra (PO), one of top five classical ensembles of the U.K., will perform the works of Elgar, Mozart and Mendelssohn under the baton of Lan Shui, one of the most sought-after Chinese conductors today.

The program will include Elgar’s “Serenade for String Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 20,” Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No.17 in G Major, K. 453” and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90,” also known as the “Italian Symphony.” French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will be the soloist.

Shui is renowned for his abilities as an orchestral builder and for his passion in commissioning, premiering and recording new works by leading Asian composers. During his tenure as the music director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2019, he “turned a good regional orchestra into a world-class ensemble that plays its heart out at every concert,” as per American Record Guide. The PO, founded in 1945, is the go-to orchestra of British and Hollywood film and game productions.

Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 29

Tickets: 180-1,280 yuan

On Dec. 30, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will perform a concert led by Tan Dun, collaborating with pianist Yuan Fang, violinist Zhao Mengchan, cellist Karen Kocharyan and flutist Min Ruofan. Themed on nature, the program will include such pieces as Saint-Sa?ns’ “The Swan,” Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite,” and “The Pines of Rome” by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi.

Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 30

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

On New Year’s Eve, conducted by SZSO artistic director Lin Daye, the orchestra will perform a concert featuring scores from dances and excerpts from operas. Cellist Wang Jian, soprano Wu Bixia, mezzo-soprano Li Ying, and baritone Yuan Shuai will collaborate alongside the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater chorus and the SZSO children’s choir. The program will include the music from the original dance show “Wing Chun,” the ballet “Romeo and Juliet,” the opera “Carmen,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” with Wang as the solo cellist.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31

Tickets: 180-1,280 yuan

On Jan. 1, the BBC Concert Orchestra led by its principal conductor Anna-Maria Helsing will present an evening of opera music. Australian-American lyric soprano Danielle de Niese, who won an Emmy Award at 16, will collaborate.

Time: 8 p.m., Jan. 1

Tickets: 180-1,680 yuan

Helsing and the orchestra will perform a different program Jan. 2, which includes such New Year’s concert staples as Johann Strauss II’s “Bat Overture” and “Blue Danube Waltz,” as well as more exciting contemporary pieces such as scores from Bernstein’s “Peter Pan” and “West Side Story,” and melodies from James Bond films.

Time: 8 p.m., Jan. 2

Tickets: 180-1,380 yuan

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