Pianist Sheng Yuan will perform with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra at a Christmas concert to be held at the Music Hall of Shenzhen Grand Theater on the night of Dec. 23.

Young Chinese conductor Yang Yang, who recently won the gold prize in conducting at the Dimitris Mitropoulos International Competition, will wield the baton.

The concert will include Tchaikovsky's "Italian Capriccio," "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Rachmaninoff, and "Symphony No.1" by Brahms.

Sheng Yuan, on the Piano faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music, will perform "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Rachmaninoff, a piece familiar to the local audience.

A prize-winner at the Marsala, Erice, Jaen, Beijing and Havana international piano competitions, Sheng has performed in countries like Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United States.

The renowned American pianist Andre Watts, upon hearing Sheng's rendition of Chopin and Liszt, compared his playing style to that of Josef Hofmann.

Born into a family of musicians in Beijing, Sheng began his music studies with his mother at 5. From 1991 to 1997 he was a scholarship student of Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he completed his bachelor and master degrees of music.

Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 23

Tickets: 60, 100, 140,180 yuan

Venue: Music Hall, Shenzhen Grand Theater

Add: 5018 Shennan Road East

Buses: 10, 23, 24, 30, 62, 63, 302, 311, 352, 377, 378, 548B

Metro: Da Ju Yuan Station (Grand Theater Station), Exit B

Editor: Donald