Photo: Courtesy of the Forbidden City Concert Hall

The 2024 Open the Door to Art Summer Art Festival is scheduled to start on July 5 and run until August 31. The festival will feature 65 performances, 11 summer camps and 15 interactive events, according to the organizer, the Forbidden City Concert Hall, on Tuesday. 

After 30 years of development, the festival has become a diverse and colorful art fest that includes classical mu-sic and Chinese folk music, opera, dance, children's drama and acrobatics. 

Xu Jian, president of the Beijing Poly Forbidden City Theater Management Co, said that this year's event features a shining line-up that includes art troupes from Austria, Romania, Italy and Germany. 

As a festival aimed at young children, the festival includes tailored performances for them with the aim of in-creasing their interest in stage performances.  

"Traditional Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and there are many treasures worth exploring. Tradition-al Chinese music and opera have always been the focus of the Open the Door to Art festival. There are nearly 20 Chinese performances featuring instruments like the guqin, flute, guzheng, pipa and erhu," Xu said. 

At the 11 summer camps, the festival will provide students with top art education resources covering subjects such as the harp, brass instruments, chorus and others. 

As one of the founders of the Open the Door to Art festival, renowned conductor Tan Lihua has witnessed its de-velopment over the past three decades. Tan said that the festival has contributed to the art education of numerous people. He noted that he will conduct the Beijing Symphony Orchestra during the opening concert.