The sixth China Opera Festival opens in Xiamen. [Photo by Li Jun/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The sixth China Opera Festival opened in Xiamen on Sept 15, bringing 16 opera productions and 31 professional performances to audiences in Xiamen and Fuzhou through Sept 30.

The opening event took the form of a concert at the Banlam Grand Theater in Xiamen. More than 10 singers, including Yin Xiumei, Yan Weiwen, Liao Changyong, and Lei Jia, performed 23 excerpts from Chinese and foreign operas, while Li Xincao and Yang Yang served as conductors.

Ninety-seven-year-old conductor Zheng Xiaoying also took the podium, leading classic opera pieces at the concert. A Chinese-language production of Georges Bizet's Carmen, which she helped create in 1982, will also be staged during the festival.

Zheng Xiaoying takes the podium as a guest conductor. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The festival is being held in Xiamen and Fuzhou, with programs spanning opera performances, seminars, public arts activities, and training for opera creators.

Public-interest tickets are available for every performance, and selected productions will be livestreamed in high definition. The arrangements are intended to make performances accessible to the public both at theaters and online.

The festival also features ticket discounts and special arrangements for Taiwan compatriots. Holders of tickets for the Xiamen-Jinmen or Fuzhou-Matsu ferry routes can exchange them for free performance tickets.