The year 2006 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Austrian music genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salzburg, Mozart's hometown, will host a rich and varied calendar of events during the year to celebrate his birthday with his fans from around the world.

To attract Chinese music lovers and tourists to experience the gala celebrations next year in Salzburg, Salzburgerland Tourismus GmbH and Tourismus Saltzburg GmbH have planned special Mozart Tours for Chinese tourists. They will attend Mozart's operas, a concert series, expos, exhibitions and seminars.

But first, artists from Austria will bring Beijing a real Salzburg Christmas concert on Christmas Eve at the Century Theater to give local people a sense of Salzburg and its music tradition.

Presented by Uniart Production, and performed by the ensemble Salzburger Advent, the concert will feature music in four categories.

First will be a half-hour of Austrian folk music, played by the young musician's group "Tennkogl Musi" on traditional Austrian instruments. Then the six-member group Salzburger Adventconsort and soprano Alexandra Bauer will perform two songs from the popular movie Sound of Music, which was shot in Salzburg.

Next will be Mozart's works including Serenade, the Clarinet Concerto in A Major and arias from the opera The Magic Flute.

The programme will conclude with Austrian Christmas music performed by the four-man vocal group Flachgauer Viergesang and Tennkogl Musi.

The concert will be the Chinese premiere of the ensemble Salzburger Advent, founded by E.W.Holzmann in 1991.The ensemble has enjoyed great popularity in performing folk and traditional Austrian music around the world.

"We choose Salzburger Advent to share Mozart's beautiful music with Chinese music lovers and to show how we Austrians celebrate Christmas," said Dr Wilfried Haslauer, vice-governor of Salzburg, at a press conference last week in Beijing to introduce the Mozart celebration in 2006.

For the first time, the world-renowned Salzburg Festival will present Mozart's entire 22 operas. They range from his Apollo et Hyacinthus, the first opera he wrote at the age of 11, to the works of his mature years such as The Magic Flute and The Clemency of Titus.

Highlights of the Salzburg celebration will include "Viva Mozart," an exhibition at Carolino Augusteum, from January 27, 2006 to January 7, 2007, and "Best of Mozart," a unique concert series performed by the Mozarteum Orchestra and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists.

"Viva Mozart" takes an historical approach to acquainting viewers with Mozart, his compositions, his life, his family and friends. The exhibition has manuscripts, original letters from Mozart, paintings and instruments that Mozart played.

"Best of Mozart" will be presented at the Great Hall of the Mozarteum on 30 weekends between February and November of 2006. The programmes are designed to excite fans of Mozart with the most beautiful melodies from his divertimenti, symphonies, overtures and arias from his operas.

(China Daily November 10, 2005)