Cambridge Chinese Music & Culture Festival
The Cambridge Chinese Music & Culture Festival is an annual public cultural initiative established in 2024 to celebrate the depth and diversity of Chinese musical heritage in the UK. Through concerts, lectures, masterclasses, workshops and artist exchanges, the festival brings together visiting musicians, UK-based performers and local communities. Its programmes feature traditional instruments including the guqin, guzheng and pipa, while encouraging dialogue between Chinese musical traditions and contemporary international audiences.
The festival is jointly organised by the Cambridge Chinese Community Centre and the Cambridge University Chinese Orchestra Society (CUCOS). The Cambridge Chinese Community Centre is a UK-registered charity supporting community education and cultural integration, promoting the study and sharing of chinese traditional music and traditional arts; and CUCOS, founded in 2007, presents both traditional and contemporary Chinese music.
Together, these organisations combine community engagement, cultural education and live performance to increase the visibility and understanding of Chinese music in the UK.
Dun Huang 敦煌
Dunhuang draws inspiration from the ancient Silk Road city of Dunhuang, evoking its vast desert landscapes, vibrant murals and rich cultural heritage. Through the colours and textures of traditional Chinese instruments, the piece brings to life a musical world where history, art and imagination meet. Performed by the Cambridge Chinese Society Orchestra.
Performers: Guzheng by Joy Chen; Erhu by Alina Wong and Nicolas Wong; Yangqin by Peggie Lai; Percussion by Yangyangbing Liao; Dizi by Boyan Wang; Xiao by Judy Zhang; Pipa by Xinzhi Zhang.
