Art beat in May

Cross-talk artists' debut

Miao Fu and Wang Sheng, two xiangsheng or cross-talk comedians who gave an impressive performance in Bookish Brain during the 2014 BTV Spring Festival Gala, will perform their first theater show in Beijing. The two actors, both 32, were primary school classmates in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province. With the same passion for xiangsheng, they founded their troupe Qingqushe in 2007 with several other performers in Xi'an. They will introduce the other members of Qingqushe in their upcoming performance.

7:30 pm, April 30 and May 1. Ethnic Cultural Palace Theater, Fuxingmennei Dajie (Street), Xicheng district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

One-man show

Detailed lines and quick sketches can both be found in watercolor painter Lin Zaifu's artworks. Lin's show in Beijing encompasses two parts: series of fish and of landscapes. Lin reveals his ability to control the use of colors and his pursuit of details in his fish, which are a symbol of wealth in China. On the other side, in his watercolor landscapes, the artist applies abstract methods to depict the original scenes of the mountains, rivers and rice fields.

9 am-6 pm, May 1-7. Hongyue Art Gallary, 798 Art Zone, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu (Road), Chaoyang district, Beijing. 086-139-1186-0703.

Suede to headline festival

Suede will return to China to headline the upcoming Midi Music Festival in Beijing and Shanghai. The band will perform its hugely acclaimed second album DogMan Star to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. As the oldest outdoor music festival in China, Midi Music Festival will feature more than 100 acts rocking five stages, including Graham Central Station led by its founder Larry Graham, gothic metal band Lacrimas Profundere from Germany and Chinese rockers and bands, including Xie Tianxiao and Miserable Faith.

May 1-3. Beijing Kuangbiao Sports Park, 1 Sujiatuozhen Nan'anhe, Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

Pianist covers 200 years

Young pianist Francois-Xavier Poizat from Switzerland will perform a solo concert titled 200 Years from Chopin to Stravinsky. The 25-year-old has won seven awards in international competitions. Besides a series of etudes, ballads and sonatas by Chopin, Poizat will play Le tombeau de Couperin by Ravel and Three Movements of Petrushka by Stravinsky.

7:30 pm, May 4. Shanghai Conservatory of Music, He Luting Concert Hall, 20 Fenyang Road. 021-5133-0351.

Beijing Crossover show

A current crossover show of Chinese paintings and calligraphy includes art pieces by actors, TV hosts, singers, performing artists and painters. On display are 60 works from 30 artists, half from the arts field and half from TV and music, such as Zhao Zhongxiang and Zhu Jun, hosts of CCTV, and Yu Junjian, a folk song singer. Calligraphers and painters like Zhang Rongqing, Feng Yuan and Wu Chunhe are also taking part in the show. It's the first time for the organizer China Literature and Art Foundation to hold a crossover show of this kind.

10 am-5 pm, until May 5. Enji Art Museum, Xibalizhuang Lu (Road), Haidian district, Beijing. 010-5793-3322.