Art beat in December

Tough Guys Don't Dance

Contemporary artist He An has created a series of new installations named after Norman Mailer's novel of the same title. He was inspired by the fragmented narrative as well as the explicit description of violence and sexuality in the book, and created new works by striking steel boards.

11 am-6 pm, Tue-Sun, till Dec 28, MadeIn Gallery, 4F, Building No.7, 50 Moganshan Road????

021-6070-9561

Tang leads New Year concert

The Voice of China New Year Concert will be performed by the China National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tang Muhai in Beijing. In its fifth year, the Voice of China New Year Concert will bring classic works by Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss as well as works from Guan Xia, the veteran Chinese composer who is also the director of the China National Symphony Orchestra. Tang, who was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1980s, will share the stage with his 10-year-old daughter for a Chinese violin concerto, Butterfly Lovers.

7:30 pm, Tuesday (Dec 30). Great Hall of the People, west of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-8478-5485.

Nicholls featured in concert

Maestro Markus Stenz will conduct the 2015 New Year Concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Soprano Rachel Nicholls will join the concert and collaborate with the Shanghai Opera House in the performance of Beethoven's Symphony No 9. The conductor performed in Shanghai in 2010, with the Gurzenich Orchestra Cologne and Cologne Opera, two cycles of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.

7:30 pm, Wednesday (Dec 31). Shanghai Grand Theatre. 300 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district, Shanghai. 400-106-8686.

Phoenix Legend performs live

Chinese pop duo Phoenix Legend will give two concerts in Beijing. Consisting of female singer Yangwei Linghua and male rapper Zeng Yi, the duo is known for combining folk music, rap and hip-hop. The New Year concerts will feature the group's crossover performance with their guest, folk singer Gong Linna.

7:30 pm, Wednesday and Thursday (Dec 31, Jan 1). MasterCard Center, the former Wukesong Arena, 69 Fuxing Lu (Road), Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.