Asia's largest musical instrument show opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on Tuesday to display latest musical instruments and technologies.

As a key part of the city's international arts festival, the four-day Music China 2010 is sponsored by the China Musical Instrument Association, Intex Shanghai Co Ltd and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said Yan Minjie, spokeswoman with Intex Shanghai Co Ltd.

The event has witnessed 1,243 producers of musical instruments from 25 countries and regions in attendance, including Yamaha, Steinway, Pearl River, Hsinghai Piano, Roland, Warwick, Peavey, Fender, Farida, Kawai, Jupiter, Mapex and Remo, Yan said.

"Digital music has become part of people's daily lives," she said, adding that the show's organizing committee has joined hands with the Digital Media Center of the Shanghai Conservatory to launch a digital music show to display fashionable digital music.

Many famous singing stars and music instrument players will perform classic, rock and roll and jazz music for visitors at the event.

Gary Girouard, a young American Boston pianist will present his music to visitors, while Jojo Mayer, a highly acclaimed Swiss drummer, will bring his jazz and drum and bass as well as play the rhythms of programmed jungle drum and bass music on acoustic drums.

Meanwhile, an international lighting show, entitled Prolight Sound Shanghai, also kicked off at the expo center on the same day to display various kinds of lighting equipment and technologies from exhibitors in 19 countries and regions.

Famous corporate exhibitors include Beyerdynamic, C-Mark, Sennheiser, Soundking and Yajiang. Germany, South Korea and Taiwan have sent delegations to the show.

According to sponsors, many seminars on music, lighting and acoustics will be held at the event to discuss ways of how to develop new technologies for more new products.