The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra kicks off its 2025-26 season next month with a series of joyous concerts and events that will include collaborations with international artists, competitions and tours abroad.
The 49th season embraces the theme of joy, says HKCO artistic director Yan Huichang, ping out that “there is ‘joy’ in the word ‘enjoy.’ “
The theme, he continues, aspires to express serenity and generate rapport through music, weaving threads that connect past and present, and bridging Chinese and global cultures.
The HKCO is set up in four sections – bowed strings, plucked strings, wind and percussion – and primarily uses Chinese instruments.
The opening concert, Silken Notes of the Pipa, is supported by the National Arts Fund and draws inspiration from the ancient Silk Road.
Featuring artists from different cultures, the work highlights the expressive qualities and tonal characteristics of the five-and four-stringed pipa of China, the satsuma biwa and shakuhachi of Japan and the oud of Turkey.
From left, Japan's Akiko Kubota on the satsuma biwa, Cypriot Giannis Koutis on the oud, China's Fang Jinlong on the five-string pipa, and principal Zhang Ying on the four-string pipa. HKCO
Together they weave a tapestry tracing back to the cultural heritage of the Silk Road, “captivating the joys and wisdom garnered by the confluence of Eastern and Western civilizations,” he says.
It will be held on September 12 and 13 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.
In October, the HKCO travels to South Korea for Hong Kong Week 2025 @ Seoul, collaborating with local artists, while in Hong Kong, a signature drum festival will rock the city.
The Hong Kong Drum Festival, to be held on October 31 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, will feature China’s percussion maestro and Central Conservatory of music professor Wang Jianhua, performing two classics, Wreaking Havoc in Heaven and Night Thoughts.
Also, Korea’s acclaimed traditional art troupe The Little Angels return to the festival to showcasing the unique vitality of Korean culture.
The Little Angels. HKCO
One of next year’s highlights is the Endless Sheng – International Sheng and Reeds Festival that integrates music and academic panels in a dialogue between Chinese and Western arts.
The sheng is said to be the world’s earliest free-reed instrument. Emerging from three millennia of China’s ritual musical heritage, the sheng is a living relic of a timeless tradition.
The Endless Sheng – Thousand Reeds in Harmony marathon at Kai Tak Sports Park next spring will witness a dialogue between the sheng and its Western reed counterparts.
It will be followed by a symposium, a Chinese sheng competition and other events.
A grand finale, Thousand Reeds, One Universe, will take place in September 2026, featuring the world’s top sheng virtuosos.
Meanwhile, composer and erhu artist Chu Wan-pin, who is involved in the music production of two blockbusters – The Last Dance and Wu Kong, will jointly recast their soundtracks with the HKCO.
Chu Wan-pin. HKCO
Hong Kong Cinematic Odyssey: Wu Kong and The Last Dance will be held on June 5 and 6 at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.
Other highlights include HKCO virtuosos interpreting the essence of “joy” in An Evening with HKCO Principals on January 4 at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium, the Music About China series held as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival on February 28 at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, and the International Chinese Music Conducting Competition which culminates in June.
The HKCO will also stage a Greater Bay Area homecoming concert in Guangzhou to conclude the year.
HELEN ZHONG
