Art Special: BMW initiative makes jazz 'Open for All'

It features opera, jazz and modern dance along with seminars, salons and lectures that help the public better understand and enjoy art.

Binsbergen noted that like all people, the Chinese need cultural and artistic enjoyment, which is part of their spiritual life.

He said that the auto group has been working on offering fine artistic performance to more people in a more innovative way.

Mei said that in the many cultural programs, BMW is not a sponsor but a partner. It starts together with the artists from an idea and help it grow. During the process, BMW will try to offer the artists full independence and make the art genuine with free expression.

Music is an open sky

To choose jazz as the first Open for All show, is partly because it has a huge fan base in Shanghai and also for the art form needs an open stage, according to the two executives.

Jazz music celebrates free expression and boundary-less interaction with collaborators and audience.

At the Open for All performance, Metheny said he was impressed by audience's reaction.

"I think the idea is fantastic. I really like the stage and enjoy the feeling playing on it. I hope everyone can open up their hearts for different cultures and to feel the varied beauty of music," said Metheny.

He added that jazz is the expansion of life without boundaries, free to get anywhere.

"I really like what Sony Rollins the saxophonist said about music. He said it's an open sky." The BMW Master Hall's Open for All program offered an experimental stage for both artists and the audience to explore the boundary-less wonder of music.

Binsbergen said that for Metheny and his band, the stage and audience were very new and they had the full possibility to express themselves in any innovative way - because for an audience that never listens to jazz music, it is a very unique experience to enjoy the charm of something new and beautiful.

"No matter where, there should be no obstacle for an audience member to enjoy a certain kind of music," said Metheny. "I hope all of my shows will give the audience a feeling they've never heard before."