Featuring more than 30 performances by international artists, the 20th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) will be held between May 2 and 30 this year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced on Thursday.

During the MAF, international artists from Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States, Canada and Singapore will perform in various art forms staged here, such as theatre, dance, music, opera, cinema and multimedia arts, according to the bureau.

The MAF will open its new season with a Sadler's Wells (London) production "Sutra", which is a brand new dance work inspired by the skill, strength and spirituality of Buddhist Shaolin monks, presented by celebrated Flemish/Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In addition to the foreign art shows, Macao and Chinese mainland artists will also debut their works during the art festival. Macao-born composer Lam Bun-Ching's contemporary opera " Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute" is the first contemporary chamber opera to be presented in the festival. Two major local orchestras will also be featured in a number of concerts.

A series of outdoor performing art shows will also be staged in local city squares, and workshops and conferences with the objective of stimulating public interest in the arts will also be held during the event.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2009)