Despite the inconvenience of drizzles, the annual Concert on the Green at Shanghai's popular Chenshan Botanical Garden in Songjiang district presenting a scenic feast of nature combined with classical music, kicked off on Saturday as scheduled.

The annual two-day event, which first began in 2011 when the garden opened to the public, has been one of the biggest and most popular open-air concerts of classical music, usually to a sold-out audience.

This year, however, the concert presented by Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to an invited audience consisting mostly of medical workers, policemen, volunteers, social workers and cleaners who have made special contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Saturday night, the concert presented melodies from Beethoven, Verdi and the 50-year-old Chinese classic "Yellow River" among others. Pianist Song Siheng and tenor Han Peng were among the star list. The 90-minute concert ended with Han's performance of "Nessun Dorma", the aria from Puccini's "Turandot".