Shanghai Ballet and Yundi Li hit by virus
He’s China’s superstar pianist and he was due to pack out the Concert Hall at QPAC Thursday night but Yundi Li has cancelled his tour due to coronavirus and now the Shanghai Ballet has also pulled out of its Brisbane season for the same reason
QLD News
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HE’S a Chinese superstar and his QPAC concert on Thursday night was to be one of the arts events of the year but Coronavirus fears resulted in the cancellation of classical pianist Yundi Li’s Brisbane appearance.
It’s a double blow for arts lovers who were also looking forward to seeing the Shanghai Ballet perform here as guests of Queensland Ballet in March. But their tour has also been cancelled.
Yundi Li, 37, is one of the world’s greatest classical musicians but the promoters of his Australian tour said it would be postponed.
Harmonie International and Yundi Music advised that the tour was postponed “in response to public health concerns surrounding Coronavirus”.
“The Brisbane concert will be rescheduled for October 2020 and all purchased tickets will still be valid,” the promoter said. “If the new dates, when announced, are not suitable for patrons who have purchased a ticket a full refund will be provided.”
Tickets have sold for between $89 and $249.
Queensland Ballet artistic director Li Cunxin meanwhile said he was disappointed the Shanghai Ballet wasn’t coming “but the safety of all must come first”.
“Our sister ballet company, Shanghai Ballet, presented us in Shanghai during our tour of China in 2018 and we were very much looking forward to reciprocating their hospitality and welcoming them to Brisbane in March for the Australian exclusive of The Lady of the Camellias,” Mr Li said/
“We have been in talks with Shanghai Ballet since news of the virus first hit.
“Now with the clear health directive from our Federal Government and China’s own restrictions regarding groups leaving the country, Shanghai Ballet has decided not to proceed.
“We fully support their decision and we have already brought our schedules together to work out when they can tour to Brisbane, possibly as early as 2021.
“Obviously it’s a blow for our patrons, and for both teams at Shanghai Ballet and Queensland Ballet.
“Tickets had been selling well so we know that patrons were looking forward to seeing them on the Brisbane stage. We even had plans to release another show to meet demand.”
It’s a double blow for the state ballet company which had to cancel performing its sexy ballet Dangerous Liaisons in Melbourne due to British choreographer Liam Scarlett of the Royal Ballet being under investigation after a sex scandal in the UK.
Queensland Ballet has pulled its Melbourne tour out of the fire though and will now perform Swan Lake in the Victorian capital in April.
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