Under the baton of Chinese conductor Zhang Guoyong, the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra performs Antiphonal of Flowers at the opening concert of Meet in Beijing Arts Festival on April 25, 2016. [Photo/meetinbeijing.org.cn]

Under the baton of Chinese conductor Zhang Guoyong, the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra opened the night by performing Chinese composer Bao Yuankai's Antiphonal of Flowers, adapted from Chinese folk songs.

Zhang Guoyong, who was also the artistic director of the concert, said that the concert was a combination of artistry and entertainment.

“We especially paid attention to two aspects. One is to rich the form. We have symphony, soloists, chorus, brass quintet, pipe organ, and a dance routine all in one performance. The other is to rich the content. The scores to play are composed by artists of both countries, and have a large time span, from classical compositions of Bach period to newly created pieces,” said Zhang.

The orchestra worked with Canadian artists to perform Ode to the Yellow River and Red River Valley. The Canadian folk song Red River Valley is well known in China because of Canadian thoracic surgeon Norman Bethune, who saved the lives of many Chinese people in the 1930s.