Echoes of China
Echoes of China was a Chinese New Year concert held at Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London, on 8 February 2026. Bringing together guzheng musicians and other performers, the concert celebrated Chinese musical heritage through live performance and cross-cultural exchange. The event was supported by the Cultural Section of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the UK and the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
As part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China’s global “Happy Chinese New Year 2026” programme, Echoes of China — World Tour of Master Chinese Zither Artists: London New Year Concert is initiated by renowned guzheng virtuoso Professor Su Chang, Associate Professor of the Central Conservatory of Music and recipient of China’s National High-Level Young Talent Programme.
( Joy Chen with Prof Su Chang)
Joy Chen was invited by Professor Su Chang to serve as a bilingual host for Echoes of China. Their artistic relationship began when Professor Su mentored Joy during her preparation for a previous guzheng competition. Through this experience, Professor Su became familiar with Joy’s musicianship, her understanding of the guzheng, and her ability to communicate effectively in both Mandarin and English.
Drawing on this combination of musical knowledge and bilingual communication skills, Joy’s contribution extended beyond conventional concert hosting. She introduced the artists and repertoire, communicated the musical and cultural context of the works, and helped make the guzheng and its traditions more accessible to both Chinese-speaking and international audiences.
Joy also joined the musicians as a guzheng performer for the concert’s encore. Her dual role as host and performer demonstrated both her professional understanding of the instrument and her ability to communicate Chinese music across languages, cultures and performance contexts.
This collaboration reflected an ongoing mentor–musician relationship built on Professor Su’s first-hand knowledge of Joy’s artistic ability and her trust in Joy to represent the programme to a diverse London audience.
