Beijing

Musical symphony

 To usher in the summer, the Beijing Concert Hall will stage concerts for young audiences. To kick off the program, Fan Tao, chief conductor of the Film Symphony Orchestra of the Broadcasting Performing Arts Troupe, will lead the orchestra in Peter and the Wolf. The musical symphony, composed by Russian master musician Prokofiev, is a children's story, spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra. Each character is represented by a particular instrument and a musical theme, and the musical opens up a fairy tale world of music.

7:30 pm, July 10. Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhua Jie, Xicheng district. 010-6605-7006

French artist in Beijing

The exhibition Allumettes & Neiges Eternelles features the works of French artist Lionel Sabatte done during his three-month residence in Beijing.

Sabatte is the first to become an artist in residence sponsored by Yishu 8, an art gallery which aims to promote cultural exchanges between China and Europe. He uses brushes, scissors, glue, dirt, eggshell, videos and pictures to express things that are fragile and fleeting.

10 am-6 pm, until July 23. Yishu 8, The Cable 8 Factory, Zhenzhi Lu, Chaoyang district. 010-6581-9058

Shanghai

Revolutionary opera

Red Lantern is a Peking Opera play created in the 1960s about a revolutionary family's experience before 1949. In 1968, artists initiated a new way to present the play, and opera singers performed the play with piano accompaniment. The new production will feature pianist Yin Chengzong, and acclaimed Peking Opera artists Guan Dongtian, Shi Yihong and Hu xuan.

7:30 pm, July 7, 8. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Lu. 021-6854-1234

Monument for history

The municipal culture administration of Shanghai is hosting an exhibition in celebration of the 90th anniversary of China's Communist Party. More than 100 paintings and sculptures created by acclaimed artists from 1950s to the present are on exhibition.

9 am-5 pm, until July 10. Shanghai Exhibition Center, 1000 Yan'an Zhonglu. 021-6474-9977

Pencil sketches

Veteran artist Li Chen of the Luxun Art Academy in Northeast China's Liaoning province is having a solo exhibition in Shanghai. His pencil sketches vividly capture scenes of Fenghuang, Hunan province, showcasing the unique regional landscape and culture. Also on exhibition are his serial illustrations for classic novels and drawings for stamp designs.

9 am-5 pm, until July 10, Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Xilu. 021-6327-2829

Hong Kong

The Fat Lady sings

Can't get to New York this summer but desperate to escape the heat? Why not catch one of the HD performances of The Metropolitan Opera at a theater near you. In the past couple of years, the Hong Kong-based Foundation for Music and Arts in Asia has mounted screenings of beloved performances under its The Met: Live in HD series. This weekend, catch Verdi's operatic standard Il Trovatore or Donizetti's tragic Lucia di Lammermoor in air-conditioned comfort on the big screen as part of encore set of performances.

Il Trovatore: 7 pm, July 9. UA Cityplaza, 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing.

7:30 pm, July 9. Broadway The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. 7:30 pm, July 10. AMC Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty. Lucia di Lammemoor: 7:15 pm, July 10. PALACE ifc, 8 Finance Street, Central. 852-2880-9555

Macao

Sentimental strains

Due to overwhelming response to its June performance, the Macao Chinese Orchestra will reprise its Dream Like Music concert in the historically atmospheric Dom Pedro V Theater's foyer this Saturday. The repertoire will include a number of Cantonese operatic numbers as well as folk songs performed by the 34-piece orchestra. Featured musicians include Chen Xiaorong, Jiang Xiaodong and soloist Lin Jie.

8 pm, July 9. Gallery of the Mirrors, Dom Pedro V Theater, Largo de Santo Agostinho. 853-8399-6696