Three Weeks of World-Class Music and Unforgettable Moments
Over three Fridays, our Wodehouse Theatre hosted three world-class concert films as part of this year's Theatre Live Festival.
Now in its third year, the festival allowed us to bring exceptional performances to our community, celebrating Dulwich College Beijing's 20th Anniversary and demonstrating how music can connect people across cultures and generations.
Music, Friendship and Imagination
This year, our theme—Music, Friendship and Imagination—reflected how the arts bring people together through creativity and shared experience. One highlight was a special musical greeting from Dulwich College, where students shared short recordings of their performances to mark our anniversary. Their warm wishes reminded us of the strong connections across the Dulwich family of schools.
Our Head of College, Dr Cameron Pyke, opened the festival, speaking about music as a universal language that unites people. He said:
We have a duty to communicate the value of the creative arts to students and to preserve this wonderful tradition, which Dulwich College Beijing has so made its own.
Our student hosts reflected on how the festival has let them explore a variety of art forms over the years, including drama, ballet and musical theatre. They added:
'This year, we are thrilled to present three world-class concert film screenings here at Dulwich College Beijing, featuring iconic music performances in stunning high definition. The festival is also part of the celebration of Dulwich College Beijing's 20th Anniversary. As we celebrate friendship, imagination and extraordinary music—let the journey begin.'
The three programmes offered us a rich variety of performances, from energetic rock to classical crossover and cinematic soundscapes. Together, they demonstrated music's power to connect audiences across genres, generations and continents, highlighting collaboration, creativity and friendship.
Three Fridays of World-Class Performances
Imagine Dragons: Live from the Hollywood Bowl
We opened the festival with Imagine Dragons performing at the ollywood Bowl. Backed by the LA Film Orchestra, hits like 'Radioactive','Demons' and 'Believer' drew our audience fully into the concert experience.
Andrea Bocelli 30th: The Celebration
Week two transported us to the Tuscan hills for Andrea Bocelli's 30th-anniversary concert. Set in a remarkable open-air location, the Maestro performed his most celebrated works alongside world-renowned guest artists.
Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert
The festival reached its finale with Hans Zimmer's iconic film scores, including 'Dune', 'Interstellar' and 'Gladiator', performed live by leading international musicians and a full orchestra in Dubai.
Worldwise Academy:
The Worldwise Academy aims to enrich the career pathways of DCB students by creating connections between DCB and the world of work. It is responsible for creating events and programmes that support students to explore their passions in relation to their future career pathways. We believe this is a fantastic opportunity for parents and friends to come together formally to support DCB students. The Worldwise Academy will connect with the professional expertise and talent among the DCB parents’ and friends’ community, inviting them to participate in such events and programmes.
InART Programme:
Introduced in 2018, the InART programme is an international art and culture-focused co-curricular programme, which was designed to introduce interactive learning through experience in the arts, culture and heritage. InART involves DCB students, parents, teachers and the wider community, working together in a cycle of experience, reflection and conceptual understanding that inspire future learning.
By introducing world-leading artists, art events and cultural programmes, participants gain insiders’ experience and professional knowledge in a variety of art forms, such as visual art, music, dance, film and drama, and at the same time, acquire a profound appreciation for international and local cultural heritage.
