Sarah Brightman is on her way back to China in her "Symphony World Tour" which began in Arena Monterrey, Mexico, on November 4, last year.

There is a great sense of expectation for this, her first China tour in five years, as well as her first public appearance in China after her acclaimed duet with Liu Huan at the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

In China, Brightman's concerts will be staged in Beijing, Nanjing (Jiangsu Province), Shanghai and Guangzhou (Guangdong Province). The Shanghai concerts will be on March 26 and 27 at the Shanghai Grand Stage.

The world's best-selling soprano, Brightman has sold more than 26 million albums and over two million DVDs over her career.

After the successful release of her highest chart-debuting album, "Symphony," the British soprano released her first-ever Christmas album for the holiday season last year.

The "Winter Symphony" brings her virtuosity and originality to many of the season's classic moments, and it was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and a 46-piece choir.

Brightman's pure voice glides through an array of seasonal favorites, including "Silent Night" and "In the Bleak Midwinter" and a resplendent version of "Ave Maria" with Fernando Lima. Also featured is Abba's famous instrumental piece "Arrival" adapted as a vocal work and a gorgeous rendition of Neil Diamond's classic "I've Been This Way Before."

Brightman also brings her own elegance to holiday hits like "I Believe In Father Christmas" and "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday."

Continuing her tradition of breathtaking stage productions, the China tour will feature new and groundbreaking technology, with virtual and holographic stage sets that have never been seen before in any production.

"It's a 3D moving world onstage," says Brightman of the visual and theatrical treats that reviewers have already raved about. This innovative stage technology is highly sophisticated and dramatic, creating an otherworldly, ethereal experience - the perfect backdrop for Brightman's ethereal voice.

She will appear as if she was suspended in a changing fairytale and seem to be floating in a pool surrounded by nymphs. She will ride a bicycle through space, sit on a giant swing and be lost in a lush forest.

Tickets for the Shanghai concerts are on sale exclusively at the Ticketmaster box office. The national hotline is 400-707-9999, and online at www.ticketmaster.cn.

Date: March 26-27, 7:30pm

Venue: Shanghai Grand Stage, 1111 Caoxi Rd N.

Tickets: 200-1,600 yuan

(Shanghai Daily February 19, 2009)