Beijing

Chamber music

As part of the series of concerts for the 14th Beijing Music Festival, Festival Strings Lucerne will perform under the baton of German conductor Achim Fiedler.

Established in 1956 by Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Rudolf Baumgartner, Festival Strings Lucerne is regarded as one of the world's best chamber orchestras. It has been conducted by Fiedler since 1998.

7:30 pm, Oct 21. Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Bei Xinhua Jie, Xicheng district. 400-810-8080

Versatile singer

Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong, known for his unique take on soul, blues and R&B, returns to Beijing's stage after one year. The concert, part of his world tour, will have Fong performing songs from his new album, 15. Moving away from R&B, he infuses this album with blues-rock guitar riffs, besides including songs from his previous four albums. The Hawaii-born Fong, 27, impressed DJs and music industry executives as a promising newcomer in 2005 and in 2009, was nominated for best singer, composer and arrangement at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards for his album, Orange Moon.

8 pm, Oct 22. Mastercard Center, formerly Wuhesong Arena. 69 Fuxing Lu, Haidian district. 010-8822-8118

Autumnal landscapes

Six artists are holding a group show entitled Our Hometowns in Autumn at Sing Kong Art Gallery.

On show are more than 40 oil works and ink paintings depicting autumn landscapes in the homes of the artists from Sichuan, Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

9 am-5 pm, until Oct 30. 5/F, Sing Kong Space, 87 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang district. 010-6530-5888

Realistic oils

Sichuan artist He Dongling will hold his solo exhibition of more than 80 works he has created over the past decades. He has a realistic style and his works have a nostalgic flavor.

9 am-5 pm, Oct 26-Nov 8. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district. 010-8403-3500

Vanguard artists

As part of the ongoing seventh Songzhuang Art Festival, a joint show featuring works by vanguard artists from China and South Africa is being held in Beijing. On display are more than 30 prints, sketches and oil landscapes.

10 am -5 pm, until Oct 23. Pang Yongjie Studio, Xiaopu Village, Songzhuang, Tongzhou district

Students' works

The Huantie Times Gallery is hosting a group show entitled Academic Spirit for 33 art students from eight art academies from across the country.

On view are more than 90 experimental art works of various mediums and genres.

10 am-5 pm, until Nov 4. Huantie Art Zone, Dashanzi, Chaoyang district. 010-6435-2297

Shanghai

It's OK to karaoke

Artists from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao come together to present a stage performance that combines karaoke and talk show.

It is co-staged by Zuni Icosahedron and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center. Founded in 1982, Zuni Icosahedron is a Hong Kong-based non-profit charity arts organization.

It features original productions of experimental theater works and multi-media performances.

7:30 pm, Oct 21, 22; 2 pm, Oct 22, 23. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center Arts Theater, 288 Anfu Road, 021-6473-0123

Young artists

The 2011 Shanghai Young Artist Exhibition features 42 award-winning pieces selected from 2,570 works from across China.

"These young artists show solid skills and cultural understanding," says Zhu Guorong, director of the Shanghai Artists' Association. "Their experimental spirit is worth praising, and the average quality has improved over the years."

The exhibition is on at several venues.

9 am-5 pm, until Oct 30, Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Xilu, 021-6327-2829; Liu Haisu Art Museum, 1660 Hongqiao Lu, 021- 6270-1018; Mingyuan Art Center, 1199 Fuxing Zhonglu, 021-6473-8383

All about animation

The Pixar: 25 Years of Animation exhibition comes to China for the first time with more than 400 exhibits selected from the archives of Pixar Animation Studios.

The highlight is a Toy-Story-themed zoetrope, a popular 19th-century proto-cinematic display, on which a sequence of stills roll rapidly, producing the effect of continuous activity - the earliest form of animation.

9 am-5 pm, until Oct 30. Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, People's Park, 231 Nanjing Xilu. 021-6327-9900