Just before welcoming the "Year of the Rabbit" and the ushering of the Chinese New Year on January 22, the Athens Conservatory hosted 15 young musicians from Greece and China for a "Concert of Young Chinese and Greek Musicians for the Spring Festival".
The event took place on Saturday night in Athens and both traditional as well as contemporary compositions were heard, as a Chinese embassy press release said. Over 600 attended, contributing to Greek and Chinese cultural exchanges and learning.
The concert was part of events taking place globally and organised by the Chinese Culture and Tourism Ministry to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and by the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry to welcome the Spring Festival.
Several organisations in Beijing and Athens took place, including the City of Beijing, the Athens State Orchestra and the Association of Greece-China Investors.
Chinese Ambassador Xiao Junzheng expressed the hope the concert inspires more opportunities for exchanges and channels of communications between musicians of both countries, while Athens State Orchestra leading pianist Titos Gouvelis said it was a great honor to work with musicians playing the Chinese dulcimer, as music is an international language linking people and cultures.
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