Fans of classical music, drama and ballet in for a treat at Tianjin Grand Theater

Tianjin Grand Theater has announced its offerings for the 2019 performing season, which comprise a varied repertoire of classical music, drama, and ballet.

According to Beijing Poly Theatre Management, which took over the theater's management since 2017, marking the 120th anniversary of Chinese famous writer Lao She's birth, three plays based on the writer's classic works will be staged from April 26 to 30, including Mr Ma and Son and Lao She's Six Stories, both adapted by veteran director-actor Fang Xu.

In May and June, four French plays will be staged at Tianjin Grand Theater, including director Michel Didym's Les Eaux et Forêts, or Water and Forest, and director Philippe Quesne's La Mélancolie des Dragons.

For the classical music section, audience will enjoy concerts brought by international artists. On May 22, conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead the Philadelphia Orchestra on 2019 Tour of China, celebrating the 40th anniversary of US-China diplomatic relations. Besides Tianjin, the orchestra will visit Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.

Grammy Award-winning Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter will give a concert along with American quartet, Brooklyn Rider, on June 7, with repertories including songs from the quartet's album, entitled So Many Things, which the quartet released in 2016 with the mezzo-soprano.

Other highlights of the year's performance at Tianjin Grand Theater will see the Tony Award-winning musical, Matilda, which is based on the 1988 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, and a ballet gala presented by ballet dancers, including Julian Mackay, star soloist of Mikhailovsky Theatre, Alessio Carbone, principal dancer of Opéra national de Paris and Lisa Pavlov, dancer of Staatsballett Berlin.