The 19th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will kick off on Oct 20 at Shanghai Grand Theater with a commissioned work, The Beginning-Choral Symphony performed by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and Shanghai Opera House.

Composed by Gong Tianpeng, the symphonic cantata was inspired by the story of the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921.

The month-long festival will close on Nov 19 with a performance of The Makropulos Case by Janecek Opera of the Czech Republic's National Theater Brno.