The 16th International Piano Competition of Oleans, an important music event in France, has expanded to the Asia Pacific region for the first time this year, with the first phase of the competition taking place at Shanghai Conservatory of Music on May 11-12.

The Concours International de Piano d'Oleans in France celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, and decided to expand abroad to Chicago of the US and Shanghai in China. "We decided to have the competition in Shanghai because it is an important city and a cultural capital of China," said Isabella Vasilotta, artistic director of the competition.

The Oleans competition is an event focused on the music of the 20 and 21st century. "We decided not only to come here, but also to bring some new music of China to Orleans," she said. The competition is pairing up with Shanghai Conservatory of Music to set up a list of new compositions by musicians in Shanghai, sharing it with candidates of the competition who could choose to play them in the final round in Orleans or Paris later this year.

Aside from the competition, Shanghai Conservatory of Music on May 10 announced a series of projects and events in celebration of the China-French Year of Culture and Tourism, such as concerts of French composition, masters' classes by musicians from France and a French-Chinese joint production of the opera Carmen, celebrating the 150th anniversary for the premiere of the masterpiece by Georges Bizet.