China, 29.04 - 05.05.2013
In Spring 2013 Polish band Zakopower performed in several Chinese cities. The tour, which included three concerts at the prestigious Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, was organized jointly by the Polish Embassy in Beijing and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. It was Zakopower's second visit to China - the band performed at Shanghai EXPO in 2010, gaining enthusiastic applause from the Chinese audience.
Zakopower is one of the hottest music bands on the current Polish musical scene, successfully combining Polish highland folk with contemporary sounds. Sometimes labeled as folk rock, Zakopower escapes all manner of classification - their music, originally inspired by the Podhale Polish highlands musical tradition, equally features rock aesthetics, clever use of electronics, draws on jazz influences as well as incorporates African beats - the overall mix resulting in a truly unique, authentic and strong sound - fun, lively, infectious and instantly recognizable. Their debut album "Music Hall" (2005) quickly reached gold status selling over 30 000 copies, and have been nominated for the Best Polish Performer in MTV Europe Music Awards (2006). They have been awarded numerous music awards in Poland, most notably the prestigious Academy Award Fryderyk in 2008 for best Polish ethno/folk album (for their second album "Na Siedem" featuring Nigel Kennedy's guest performance). Their concert DVD released in 2009 received gold status for bestselling music DVD in the Polish music market and still remains a bestseller. Their album "Boso" released in 2011 reached the status of Double Platinum Album, and was honored with three Polish Academy Awards Fryderyk (best album etno, band of the year, single of the year). Zakopower has also successfully performed abroad at numerous music festivals, including TFF Rudolstadt in Germany and Hungarian Sziget Festival. They appeared in the exclusive line up of artists representing the very best of Poland at Nigel Kennedy's Polish Weekend at the London's prestigious SouthBank Centre, with their performance selling the Queen Elizabeth Hall, causing quite a stir and gaining them high critical acclaim as well as huge interest from both British promoters and the media. In 2010 Zakopower's concert organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute was one of the most impressive Polish cultural events at Shanghai EXPO.
Meet in Beijing Arts Festival is an event on the national level, organized since 2000 by the Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and Beijing Municipal Government, hosted by China Arts and Entertainment Group and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture. The festival aims to promote international cultural exchanges by presenting Chinese culture while introducing international arts. Therefore, a huge variety of activities is integrated into the festival including theatre, outdoor galas, art exhibitions, charitable events and specialized seminars that fall into different categories, sometimes hosted by the guest country, otherwise devoted to specific themes. In the past decade, over 1,000 companies and 30,000 artists from 110 countries and regions were featured in the festival, including such prestigious ones as the Bolshoi Ballet and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Programme of concerts:
29th of April | Chaoyang Sports Center (Meet in Bejing Arts Festival) |
30th of April | Tongzhou Canal Park (Meet in Bejing Arts Festival) |
1st of May | Chaoyang Sports Center (Meet in Bejing Arts Festival) |
4th of May | Lanzhou Theatre, Lanzhou |
5th of May | Qinghai Theatre, Xining |
Date: 29th of April - 5th of May, 2013
Organizer: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing
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