Look, What is this Feeling from Wicked! Could this WeChat post be about musicals?

See, it’s Lv Wei, one of China’s most beloved musicians! Is this a piece of writing about her performance?

Wait, a group of dancers have taken the stage! This article must be about performances.

Yes and no, this time we are covering the performances of the 2018 Academy Music Awards of PKU. It is an annual performance and award ceremony for musical theater.

Well, what is the Peking University Academy Music Awards all about?

In 2016, PKU handed out its first Academy Music Awards to rising stars in the field of musical theater.

The Academy Music Awards is an essential part of the PKU International Musicals Symposium, and it is also a significant event of the PKU International Culture Festival. The Academy Music Awards is cohosted by the PKU School of Arts and the PKU Office of International Relations, and is supported by the China Theater Association.

The Academy Music Awards performance and ceremony marks the conclusion of a national music theater competition. This year, more than 170 musical theater scripts were included in the third Academy Music Awards competition, and only 50 of them were chosen for the second-round competition. And finally, only 22 musical theater scripts made it into the finals, and had the opportunity to be performed on stage.

On July 16, the third Academy Music Awards performance and ceremony was held at the National Library of China Art Center in Beijing, and the following awards were given out:

Why Hold the Academy Music Awards

The Academy Music Awards is to reward young, talented, and passionate musical theater performers.

It aims at promoting the development of musical theater in China by encouraging young adults to exhibit their talent on stage, as well as share with each other. The prize money that comes with the awards will financially support awardees to further develop skills in musical theater performance.

Bringing Chinese Music Theater to the World

Ho-jin Yoon, the Executive Director of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Concluding Ceremony and Artistic Segment, attended the Academy Music Awards performance and ceremony. He held in high regard PKU’s Academy Music Awards, and wished the awards will become globally known so to motivate more musical theater actors.

Nigel Osborne, a British composer and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, also attended the awards performance and ceremony to support the event. The Guardian deems Nigel Osborne as “one of Britain's best-kept musical secrets.”Nigel reproduced many popular musicals, including King Lear, Hamlet, 7 Words, Wildlife, and Hell’s Angels.

This year’s Academy Music Awards performance and ceremony has come to an end, but PKU will always be a guardian of musical theater development in China and will do its best to support young talented performers.

PKU's Academy Music Awards Shines on a Midsummer's Night

Writer: Xu Haolun

Editor: EAS

Photos: Ju Qi, Ju Dapeng

Designer: Xu Haolun