People in Beijing have got used to attending concerts celebrating the New Year in recent years. This year they have a lot of choice. Among them, the one with the longest history is the New Year Concert at the Great Hall of the People on Dec 31, presented by Beijing Artists Management Corp Ltd.

Since 1997, the company has brought a dozen of the world's leading orchestras and soloists to celebrate the New Year with Beijing's classical music fans.

This year the stage of the Great Hall of the People belongs to the acclaimed BBC Philharmonic and the baton passes to the renowned Russian conductor Vassily Sinaisky.

They will start the concert with the Chinese composer Lu Qiming's Ode to the Red Flag, followed by Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5. The second half will include Elgar, Shostakovich, Dvorak and Strauss.

Widely recognized as one of Britain's finest orchestras, the 73-year-old BBC Philharmonic has built a worldwide reputation for outstanding quality and committed performances.

Sinaisky has been chief guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic since 1996 and is a regular and popular visitor to the BBC Proms each summer. His international career was launched in 1973 when he won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Karajan Competition in Berlin. His early work as assistant to the legendary Kondrashin at the Moscow Philharmonic, and his study with Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatoire has provided him with an incomparable grounding.

Time: 7:30 pm, Dec 31

Place: Great Hall of the People, Tian'anmen Square

Tel: 400-8103721, 6417-0068, 6406-8888

(China Daily December 24, 2008)