The opening of the annual Gateway to Music event, which has established itself as one of Beijing's biggest arts festivals for children during the summer vacation since 1995, took place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on July 5.

Chinese conductor Tan Lihua led the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and opened the festival with a concert with including pieces like The Blue Danube by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II and He's a Pirate, the theme of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean film.

During the 58-day event audiences will be able to enjoy around 70 performances.