Huayi Chinese Festival of the Arts 2021

Without a doubt, while the pandemic has caused much loss in all aspects and a general feeling of deprivation, there is also a growing acceptance and an awareness that it is the best time for humanity to take stock, look inwards, reflect on life and how best we should live in this new normal.   

Artists all around the world have to do deep introspection too, as more often than not, they find their livelihood and their practice being questioned or in dire straits. This thread of Introspection links all the works that will be presented in the 19th edition of Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts, presented by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.

Esplanade is committed to working with Singapore artists, and Huayi will commission six works in the 2021 festival and collaborate with three other companies to present works that will inspire and move audiences, and provide positivity to start a new lunar year.

In the Esplanade Theatre, stories will be told of an unwavering dedication to the stage, through significant life moments of four veteran Singapore actors. In the Esplanade concert hall, there will be an invitation for audiences to find some reflective moments through the music of celebrated composer Huang Ruo, a concert by bubbly pop duo Freshman and a multi-disciplinary creation on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Nanyin music. In the smaller venues of the arts centre, there are also works that tells the parallel journeys of a grandfather and his grandson decades later, a musical reflection on Emptiness, a virtual, cross-border collaboration with Hong Kong sound artist GayBird and a Singapore classical music quartet, and not forgetting the littles one where they can learn Chinese idioms through a fun puppetry production. Huayi will also provide opportunities for the audiences to find cheer and positivity through the wide range of quality free performances, ranging from instrumental ensembles, a dance film, a series of inspiring talks, Chinese dance performance and Chinese opera performance among others. 

For the first time in the festival, many of the productions will also be livestreamed. The festival will take place from 19 February 2021 to 14 March 2021.

More details will be announced in January 2021 on Esplanade’s website.

About Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts:

Launched in 2003 during the Chinese New Year, Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts was introduced as one of three annual cultural festivals at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay celebrating Singapore’s multicultural heritage. 

Huayi introduces our audiences to works that reveal the unique individual voices of Chinese artists, and as a multi-genre arts festival, the works curated for each Huayi range across a wide spectrum, from the traditional to the contemporary, the mainstream to the cutting-edge.

Huayi is committed to working with Singapore artists and making them known to an international audience as well, by fostering collaborations or partnerships with arts centres and arts festivals.