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Concert themed 'coloured by culture' held at Expo

By Chen Qide (China Daily Shanghai Bureau)
Updated: 2010-09-26 15:11

Jotun, a coating manufacturer from Norway, joined hands with Norway Pavilion to hold a concert event themed "Coloured by Culture" at Expo Culture Center in Shanghai Saturday.

The concert brought world-famous artists, including US Gisele Jackson and Keith Anthony Fluitt, Norwegian Henrik Engelsviken, and Chinese Tan Jing, Ma Xiaohui and Zhang Zhe, to present a cross-culture dialogue for 7,000 participants.

It was performed by Secret Garden, a world-award winning Irish-Norwegian duo since 1994 which plays New Instrumental Music. The orchestra features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer and pianist Rolf Lovland, and wrote the theme song of "powered by nature" for the Norway Pavilion at Expo.

"The idea of the event origins from the theme of Expo 2010 - better city, better life," said Bjorn Naglestad, general manager of Jotun Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co Ltd.

He said people with different backgrounds, way of thinking and different perceptions are living together in this multicultural city to create inspiration and energy, leading to a better city, a better life.

"This kind of energy is also vital for Jotun to reach its target," said Naglestad.

Jotun entered the mainland China in 1993 with its headquarters in Shanghai. It now has a joint venture with COSCO International in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province and a venture in Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province.

He said a new paint production facility in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, and a new powder coating plant in Zhangjiagang are under construction.

Jotun has supplied protective coatings and decorative paints to several pavilions and projects at the Shanghai Expo, including Norway Pavilion, China Pavilion, Macao Pavilion, Shanghai Corporate Pavilion, China Railway Pavilion and Sun Valleys in the Expo Axis.