Streets come alive with the sounds of music

This year's Music in the Summer Air (MISA) festival took music to the streets of Shanghai from July 9 to 15, performing classical music in public spaces, for free, such as Xiangyang Park, Wukang Road tourist center, Zi-Ka-Wei library and in front of the ancient Longhua Tower.

Three musicians — a violinist, a saxophonist and a flutist — played carefully selected programs in six locations in Xuhui district. Beneath the Longhua Tower, they chose a series of Chinese compositions such as The Moon of Guanshan and The Pastoral Song, as well as two pieces from the 12 Fantasias for Flute by Georg Philipp Telemann, to bring out the best in the site's acoustics.

"You are much closer to the audience than playing in a formal concert hall," says Fan Jiaying, the flutist, who was a graduate of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy in 2021. "Many people make recordings with their smartphone, and after the performance I heard among the crowd someone replaying the piece. I really feel their passion for the music."

Also, there are all kinds of unexpected sounds when you play in an open public space, she says. At Xiangyang Park, they played an adapted version of Chopin: Nocturnes, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas. "They made a quite big noise and I had to play as loudly as I could. It was quite a special experience of the summer."

Founded by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 2010, MISA is a cross-genre music festival centering on classical music. This year the festival's formal shows (where tickets were required) took place from July 7 to 20, featuring 30 events at three venues — the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall, the outdoor Shanghai Urban Music Lawn and the TRI Space at the Blackstone Apartment, a historical building on Fuxing Middle Road.

"The 143-year-old Shanghai Symphony Orchestra was born and developed in this city, going through ups and downs alongside it," says Zhou Ping, director of the symphony orchestra. "MISA is a classical music party for the whole city. We hope everyone in the city can enjoy the fun of music and get immersed in the beauty of it."