Although the economic downturn has caused strife for this year's Beijing Music Festival, artistic director Yu Long says organizers are struggling to garner private funding to keep ticket prices down.

Opera and concert ticket prices are much higher in Beijing than those for equivalent seats in other metropolises, such as New York or London, Yu says.

"It's ridiculous. Beijing's white-collar workers earn much less than their counterparts in those big cities," Yu says.

"While many people who attend the concerts get free tickets from various sources, those who really want to see the concerts can't afford the tickets."

This year's event will center on two free concerts at Poly Theater. One features popular works for children, and the other, performed by the Jiangzhou drum ensemble, is a folk music and dance show from Shanxi province.

From Sept 16, people can call 6593-0299 (English), 6507-1833 or 6507-2833 for free tickets.

There are also two concerts at Peking University's Millennium Hall for which tickets are very cheap: One is performed by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the other by the Orchestra of Klang Verwaltung from Germany.