The Splendour of Chinese Music Comes to Cambridge

 

Chinese Musical Heritage Takes Centre Stage in Cambridge

Cambridge, UK – 12 September 2026

The extraordinary history and continuing evolution of traditional Chinese music were celebrated in Cambridge on 12 September, when musicians, academics and cultural figures from China and the United Kingdom came together for an afternoon of discussion and live performance.

Held at Clare Hall College, University of Cambridge, Splendour of Chinese Music: From Heritage to the World marked the English edition of The Splendour of Traditional Chinese Music, while also looking beyond the book to consider how China's musical traditions can be preserved, developed and introduced to new audiences internationally.

The event was co-hosted by Clare Hall College and TE Creatives, with support from the Cambridge Chinese Community Centre and the UK-China Culture and Arts Centre.

Rather than being simply an academic discussion, the afternoon combined history and conversation with performances by musicians from the Hunan Song and Dance Theatre, giving the audience an opportunity to hear some of the traditions being discussed.

A Musical History Spanning Thousands of Years

The programme was hosted by Everett Jenkins, one of the translators responsible for the English edition of The Splendour of Traditional Chinese Music.

Everett Jenkins began by looking back at the long development of Chinese music, from its ancient ritual traditions through the cultural exchanges associated with the Silk Road and the subsequent evolution of China's extensive family of traditional instruments.

It is a history stretching across thousands of years, but importantly, one which has never remained completely static. Outside influences have been absorbed and interpreted while Chinese music has continued to develop its own distinctive character.

Among the distinguished guests were Zhang Yinyue, Chief Editor of the Chinese edition and renowned erhu virtuoso; Sun Wei, Chairman of the Cambridge Chinese Community Centre; Zhao Qin, Chair of the British Arts Association; and Professor Michael Dodds, Visiting Scholar at Clare Hall and internationally recognised musicologist.

From Hunan to the International Stage

The afternoon also turned to the remarkable international journey of A Panorama of Hunan.

Everett Jenkins used the production as a modern example of how traditional Chinese music can be presented successfully to audiences outside China.

Its journey has already included a debut at the United Nations in Geneva, a five-star success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a 2026 European tour and collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

The progression of the production provides an interesting example of cultural exchange in practice. Rather than changing traditional Chinese music beyond recognition for an international audience, collaboration and contemporary programming can provide a new setting in which that heritage can be discovered and appreciated.

Preserving Tradition While Allowing It to Evolve

One of the central discussions of the afternoon brought together three people with very different experiences of Chinese music and culture.

British conductor Thomas Payne, principal conductor for the UK tour of A Panorama of Hunan, was joined by Liu Sha, principal conductor of the China National Traditional Orchestra, and Clare Hall scholar Patricia Mirrlees.

Mirrlees brought a particularly interesting historical perspective to the conversation, having spent almost a decade living and working in China during the 1970s and 1980s at the invitation of celebrated translators Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang.

Their discussion considered an important question facing many traditional art forms: how do you protect and respect the past without preventing the music from developing?

Preservation is clearly important, but tradition also survives because new generations continue to perform, interpret and sometimes reshape it.

The Instruments Take Over

Following the discussions, the second half of the programme allowed the music itself to take centre stage.

Artists from the Hunan Song and Dance Theatre performed works selected from the repertoire explored in the third chapter of The Splendour of Traditional Chinese Music, effectively taking the subject from the printed page and putting it directly in front of the audience.

Pipa virtuoso Lu Yuwei performed Ambush from Ten Sides alongside the contrasting Sunset Xiao and Drum, demonstrating both the dramatic and more lyrical qualities of the instrument.

Erhu performers Feng Kaiming and Yin Xi presented A Fine Evening and Horse Racing, while dizi soloist Du Wei performed Partridges in Flight and A New Song of the Herdsmen. The two flute pieces also provided an opportunity to hear contrasting characteristics associated with the southern and northern schools of Chinese bamboo flute performance.

The final performance looked towards the future.

An excerpt from Midstream, a contemporary work co-created by young sheng performer and composer Peng Jie, demonstrated how younger Chinese musicians are finding their own ways of working with traditional instruments and musical ideas while remaining connected to the heritage from which they developed.

Taking Chinese Music Beyond China

The response from the Cambridge audience was enthusiastic, with hopes expressed that the musicians might return to the city in the future.

As an event accompanying the European tour of A Panorama of Hunan, the afternoon demonstrated the value of bringing scholarship and performance together. Reading about a musical tradition provides knowledge; hearing that tradition performed can provide an entirely different understanding.

Splendour of Chinese Music: From Heritage to the World ultimately looked in two directions at once.

It recognised and respected a musical heritage developed over thousands of years, while also considering what happens next.

Traditional Chinese music does not need to become a museum piece. Through musicians, composers, scholars and international collaborations such as these, it can retain its history while continuing to develop — and, perhaps most importantly, continue to be heard by new audiences around the world.

A Personal Note

I was privileged to see Hibiscus and the Thistle – A Panorama of Hunan at the Signet Library in Edinburgh during the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was a memorable introduction to the extraordinary music and cultural heritage of Hunan.

I also had the opportunity to see A Panorama of Hunan at Central Hall Westminster in London. It was a superb production, bringing traditional Chinese music to life on a much larger stage and demonstrating just how successfully this remarkable musical heritage can connect with an international audience.

Having experienced both productions personally, it has been fascinating to see how A Panorama of Hunan has continued to develop and reach new audiences in the United Kingdom and beyond.

By Daren Frankish