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Chinese soprano Lu Wei held her concert at Hackney Empire on Aug 11. As part of Hackney Empire's China to Hackney Festival, Lu's distinct voice sang classical Chinese folk songs, such as Jasmine, and the Beijing Olympic theme song, You and Me, accompanied by London Philharmonic. Ronan Parke, who rose to fame after performing at Britain's Got Talent, British tenor Robert Anthony Gardiner and pianist Jean-Paul Pruna also made guest appearances and crossover with Lu.

In 2005, Lu, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, won the best folk singer award on CCTV-MTV Award. Her Stories of the South Yangtze River won the Sixth Chinese 'Gold Record' award in 2008 and Top China Award in 2009, making her one of the most promising opera singers in China.