Yu Long, chairman of Beijing Music Festival, says the music must go on to give people courage.  JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY

"Musicians expect to play side by side, while audiences hope to return to the concert halls. That's also the way to display we are recovering."

He says the pandemic changed too many things, including the classical music industry. Musicians could not perform live concerts, which are an important way for them to make a living. He recommends the music stream on the BMF Club app.

"The more than 240 hours of nonstop broadcasting will become a unique carnival for music lovers," he says, "although online music can never replace the experience that a live performance provides."

For artistic director Zou, the pandemic not only pushed her to find a solution to continue the festival, but also to answer a question. Since she joined the festival as an associate program director in 2016 with a background in music, theater and films, the 37-year-old says she has been asking herself,"How can I take classical music to a newer, younger audience?"

In 2016, she initiated the "new wave program" with immersive, site-specific opera and music-theater productions. The program has been welcomed by the international opera community and a new generation of Beijing audiences. In 2018, she succeeded Yu as BMF's artistic director.

"I have always thought of how people spend their leisure time in the digital age. The pandemic has changed people's social lives, so at what time and under what circumstances do people like to enjoy music?

"We provide 24 hours of music streaming daily during the festival, and the audience can choose to listen to the music at their convenience and based on their mood, either at breakfast or while driving," says Zou.

The festival management has also approached Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Naxos China to get the copyrights of music by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Strauss, Puccini and Wagner, performed by leading orchestras, and also once performed at BMF.