The opening ceremony of the Qingdao International Violin Competition was held at the Qingdao Grand Theatre on March 5. At the ceremony, it was officially announced that, as for the domestic division, the first round of the competition will take place in Qingdao from March 7 to 10, and the overseas edition already wrapped up in January.

The guests at the ceremony included Yu Hongmei, vice-president of the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), Liu Cundong, head of Qingdao's Shinan district, and Fang Hengjian, legal representative of Beijing Yangyin Education Technology Co.

According to Yu, as a world-famous musical event, the competition keeps accumulating popularity throughout the global community and its influence on academy is expanding. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Qingdao government and CCOM, the competition is expected to promote the development of China's violin education and the modernization of Qingdao.

The semi-finals, finals, awards ceremony and closing ceremony will be held in Qingdao in September. After the competition is finished, a series of concerts and musical lectures given by prestigious musicians from home and abroad are scheduled to take place.

The competition was first held in 2005, and has since become a name card of Qingdao's culture as numerous talented violinists have come from the city.

A symphony orchestra performs at the Qingdao International Violin Competition. [Photo/WeChat account: Shinanly]