From September 16 to October 16, 2025, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Culture and Arts Festival will be held across 11 cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao. Now in its fifth edition, the festival brings together performing arts, exhibitions, lectures, and cultural exchanges.
Here are the festival's featured productions — a diverse lineup of concerts, piano recitals, musicals, operas, dance dramas, and jazz performances. From world-class symphonies and timeless classics to innovative cross-cultural creations, these productions showcase top artists from China and abroad, highlighting the artistic vibrancy of the Greater Bay Area.
1. Radiant Star: Musical Theatre Star Concert
Time: September 5, 19:30; September 6, 14:00
Venue: Guangdong Arts Theatre (广东艺术剧院)
Time: September 7, 15:00 & 20:00
Venue: Shenzhen Guangming Culture and Art Center (深圳光明文化艺术中心)
Time: September 12 & September 13, 19:30
Venue: Opera Hall, Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre (珠海华发中演大剧院歌剧厅)
Introduction: This performance invites five renowned musical theatre actors, accompanied by a professional musical theatre band, to perform classic musical pieces. The repertoire covers works such as The Phantom of the Opera, Notre-Dame de Paris, Hamilton, and Les Misérables. A blend of timeless classics and modern favorites creates a truly extraordinary theatre experience.
2. Musical The Fiction
Time: September 5, 19:30; September 6 & September 7, 14:30 & 19:30
Time: September 11 & September 12, 19:30; September 13 & September 14, 14:30 & 19:30
Venue: Guangzhou Nanfang Theater (广州南方剧院)
Introduction: The Cantonese version of the reasoning musical The Fiction will be staged in Guangdong for the first time. Adapted locally with Guangfu (Cantonese) cultural elements, it features a suspenseful plot and a non-traditional narrative structure.
3. Yefim Bronfman Piano Recital
Time: September 7, 20:00
Venue: Bay Opera of Shenzhen (深圳滨海艺术中心)
Time: September 9, 20:00
Venue: Zhuhai Jinwan Art Center (珠海金湾艺术中心)
Time: October 10, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: Yefim Bronfman is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize and a six-time Grammy Award nominee. In this performance, he will play classic pieces such as Arabesque in C Major and Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor.
4. Guangzhou Jazz Festival 2025-Silk Jazz Trio
Time: September 12, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: The Silk Jazz Trio is composed of Wu Wei, a performer of the Sheng (a traditional Chinese musical instrument), along with a German pianist and a German trumpeter. The trio combines the mellow tone of the Sheng, the lively rhythm of the piano, and the bright sound of the trumpet, presenting a unique jazz style that blends Chinese and Western music.
5. Guangzhou Jazz Festival 2025 - Arturo Sandoval Guangzhou Concert
Time: September 13, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: Arturo Sandoval, the renowned Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, will make his debut at the Guangzhou Jazz Festival with five international jazz musicians. This concert is his only performance in the Greater Bay Area this year.
6. Opera La Traviata
Time: September 13 & September 14, 19:30
Venue: Shenzhen Guangming Culture and Art Center (深圳光明文化艺术中心)
Introduction: The Greek National Opera will stage Verdi's classic opera La Traviata in China for the first time, with a cast of nearly 150 performers. The opera includes classic arias such as Libiamo ne' lieti calici. The stage and audio-visual effects are crafted by renowned artists, presenting a poignant love story and touching melodies.
7. Huang Yi and Viktoria Mullova Perform Sibelius
Time: September 14, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: This is the opening concert of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra's 2025/2026 Music Season. Conducted by Artistic Director Huang Yi, it invites violin master Viktoria Mullova to perform Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D Minor. The concert will showcase top-tier performance and the unique "Mullova Sound".
8. Music and Dance Theatre: Choreo Musica Soiree
Time: September 19, 15:00 & 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: This work integrates music and dance, with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra collaborating with Hong Kong dancers to perform classic musical pieces. Combined with visual images, it creates an immersive audio-visual experience and represents the fruitful results of in-depth artistic exchanges between Guangdong and Hong Kong.
9. Antje Weithaas & Dénes Várjon Play the Complete Beethoven Sonatas for Piano & Violin
Time: September 22 & September 24, 19:30
Venue: Experimental Theatre, Guangzhou Opera House (广州大剧院·实验剧场)
Introduction: Violinist Antje Weithaas, winner of the 2025 Opus Klassik Award, joins pianist Dénes Várjon for a three-day cycle of all ten Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano.
10. Musical I Like You
Time: September 23, 19:30
Venue: Theatre of Foshan Cantonese Opera House (佛山粤剧院戏剧场)
Time: September 29, 20:00
Venue: Zhuhai Jinwan Art Center (珠海金湾艺术中心)
Time: October 15, 20:00
Venue: Orange Theatre, Shenzhen Nanshan Culture and Sports Center Theatre (深圳市南山文体中心·聚橙剧院)
Introduction: This musical innovatively integrates the national intangible cultural heritage "Yingge Dance" with modern musical theatre. With passionate drumbeats and brilliant special effects, it tells the story of young people in Chaoshan passing down Yingge Dance.
11. 2025 Music of Lingnan: Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble: Cantonese Music Concert
Time: September 26, 19:00
Venue: Guangdong Museum (广东省博物馆)
Time: September 27, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: This Cantonese music concert is co-presented by Ruan Zhaohui (a Cantonese opera master), Chen Fangyi (a well-known wind instrument performer), and the Hong Kong Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble. The orchestra will perform pieces to showcase the century-long development history of Cantonese music and its Lingnan charm.
12. 2025 Havasi World Tour China Special
Time: September 28, 20:00
Venue: Opera House, Huizhou Culture and Art Center (惠州文化艺术中心歌剧院)
Time: October 2, 19:30
Venue: Guangdong Friendship Theatre (广东省友谊剧院)
Time: October 5, 20:00
Venue: Zhuhai Jinwan Art Center (珠海金湾艺术中心)
Time: October 7, 19:30
Venue: Foshan Grand Theatre (佛山大剧院)
Introduction: Hungarian pianist Balázs Havasi is set to team up with drumming virtuoso Charlie Zeleny. Their collaboration of piano and drums will create a spectacular audio-visual feast that blends classical and modern styles, allowing the audience to experience the unique charm of his music, which integrates the wildness of rock and modern avant-garde sensibilities.
13. A Concert by Yao Jue with the Hong Kong String Orchestra
Time: October 7, 19:30
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall (深圳音乐厅)
Introduction: Violinist Yao Jue will join the Hong Kong String Orchestra to deliver a wonderful performance. The core work of this concert, Cantonese Opera Fantasia, interprets classic Cantonese opera melodies in the form of a Western sonata. This concert fully demonstrates the beauty of the integration of Eastern and Western cultures.
14. Eternal Beethoven: Symphonies No. 4 and No. 7
Time: October 10, 20:00
Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (星海音乐厅)
Introduction: Beethoven's Symphony No.4 has a light and cheerful style, while Symphony No. 7 is characterized by strong rhythm, vitality, and emotional fluctuations. This concert will fully demonstrate the unique charm of Beethoven's works.
15. Dance Drama Confucius
Time: September 8 & September 9, 19:30
Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House (广州大剧院·歌剧厅)
Introduction: This dance drama vividly portrays Confucius’ journeys across different states and his transformation from an ordinary man into a sage. Through graceful choreography, it brings to life the hardships he endured and the profound philosophies he developed. Beyond retelling history, the production highlights the timeless relevance of Confucius’ wisdom, offering spiritual strength and guidance for today’s world.
16. Dance Drama Wing Chun
Time: September 10 & September 12, 20:00; September 13, 14:30 & 20:00
Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theatre (深圳保利剧院)
Introduction: With themes of national family affection and the nature of self-improvement, the dance drama Wing Chun focuses on Ip Man's struggle and growth when he went to Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. It combines the martial arts moves of five major kung fu schools with the dance characteristics of classical and modern dance.
17. Dance Drama Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne
Time: September 12, 19:30; September 13 & September 14, 14:30 & 19:30
Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House (广州大剧院·歌剧厅)
Introduction: The dance drama Swan Lake, created by Matthew Bourne, is a landmark work of modern ballet. Featuring male dancers as swans, it retains Tchaikovsky's music and the classic plot. This work is humorous, bold, and avant-garde, and has won more than 30 international theater awards.
18. Contemporary Dance Folding Time
Time: September 19, 19:30
Venue: Canton Tower Theatre (广州塔剧场)
Time: September 30, 19:30
Venue: Small Theatre, Guangdong Modern Dance Company (广东现代舞团小剧场)
Introduction: As the 2025 annual work of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, this contemporary dance piece recreates eight iconic works spanning more than 30 years from a new perspective. It is not only a review of the company's artistic journey but also a demonstration of the development path of Chinese contemporary dance.
Reporter: Li Fangwang, Chen Xiaotong (Intern)
Photo: Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province
Editor: Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
