2026 Cambridge Chinese Music & Culture Festival 2026第三屆劍橋音樂文化節

Across Mountains and Seas, We Gather in Cambridge — Composing a New Chapter of Dialogue Between Chinese and Western Civilisations

In the summer of 2026, Cambridge will once again welcome a major music and cultural celebration that crosses national borders, generations and civilisations. From 21 to 27 August, the 3rd Cambridge Chinese Music and Culture Festival will bring together outstanding artists and scholars from China, Japan and the United Kingdom. With music as a bridge, the Festival will create a new chapter in the dialogue between Chinese and Western civilisations on the international cultural stage.

As a major annual celebration of Chinese music and culture in the United Kingdom, the Festival continues to be jointly organised by the Cambridge Qin Society, the Cambridge University Chinese Orchestra Society and the Cambridge Chinese Community Centre. It promises to be a memorable occasion of lasting impact and exceptional significance.

We warmly invite friends from all walks of life to join us in Cambridge this August. Come and experience the elegance of Eastern music in the historic halls of one of the world's most renowned universities, discover the beauty of art through a dialogue between music and civilisation, and witness the splendid unfolding of the 3rd Cambridge Chinese Music and Culture Festival.

♬ The Soul of Chinese Music” Concert and Festival Opening Ceremony

22 August, 7pm start, £15 per person

At the Festival Opening Concert, performing artists from China and Japan will join musicians from the United Kingdom on stage. Through an open and diverse programme, they will showcase the inspiring fusion of Chinese and Western instruments and celebrate the distinctive beauty of Chinese music.

Venue: Trinity College Chapel, University of Cambridge CB2 1TQ

By kind permission of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College.

♬ Wu Wenguang: Celebrating 70 Years of Guqin Artistry - Cambridge Concert of the Yushan Wu School

23 August, 7pm start, £15 per person

Director: Wu Ye

Professor Zhao Jiazhen, President of the China Guqin Association and a renowned guqin performer, will appear with young musicians Gong Xiaoning, Sun Haopeng, Ye Jinqi and Zhu Xiaojie in a special performance of classic works from the Yushan Wu School. Young performers of the Yushan Wu tradition, including Zhai Li, Wang Guanglei, Ma Yunfeng and Lei Lei, will also travel to Cambridge to take part, together paying tribute to Mr Wu Wenguang's remarkable seventy-year artistic journey with the guqin.

The concert will also feature collaborations with UK-based Western instrumentalists and singers. Through artistic dialogue across cultures and instruments, the programme will reveal the boundless possibilities of musical exchange between East and West, offering British audiences a richly rewarding experience of both artistic excellence and cultural depth.

Venue: Trinity College Chapel, University of Cambridge CB2 1TQ

By kind permission of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College.

♬ Chen Wang Vocal Recital: “Boundless Voice — From the Silk Road to European Opera”

25 August, 7:30pm–9:00pm, £15 per person

The Festival is also delighted to welcome the acclaimed UK-based soprano Chen Wang, a much-loved performer who will present her solo recital, “Boundless Voice — From the Silk Road to European Opera”. She will take the audience on a musical journey across civilisations and through time, travelling through a rich variety of musical landscapes.

Music knows no boundaries, and every act of listening is the beginning of a new journey.

Venue: Downing Place United Reformed Church, Cambridge CB2 3EL

♬ Free Special Lectures by the Internationally Renowned Guqin Scholar Mr Wu Wenguang

“Interpreting Guqin Music Through the Ages: From Jianzipu Notation to the Symphony Orchestra”

We are deeply honoured to welcome the distinguished octogenarian guqin master Mr Wu Wenguang, who will travel from Beijing to give two special lectures at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, and the Royal Academy of Music. Entitled “Interpreting Guqin Music Through the Ages — From Jianzipu Notation to the Symphony Orchestra”, the lectures will offer musicians and guqin enthusiasts in the UK an exceptional opportunity to hear insights from his decades of scholarship, artistic practice and creative work, while exploring the development and innovation of guqin art in the contemporary world. This is a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Cambridge - 21 August, 7pm–8:30pm (Free)

Venue: Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge CB2 1TJ

London - 26 August, 2:00pm–3:30pm (Free)

Venue: Royal Academy of Music, London NW1 5HT

FREE Chinese Music and Culture Day - Families welcome!

23 August, 9:30am-12:30pm

Storey's Field, Eddington Avenue, Cambridge CB3 1AA

Come to enjoy displays and activites featuring traditional Chinese music, calligraphy and ink painting, artistic paper-cutting, Chinese tea culture, Chinese folk dance and more. There will also be Chinese food, a Hanfu fashion show, creative photo opportunities and a variety of colourful cultural activities, offering an enjoyable and engaging introduction to Chinese music, arts and culture.

A Music and Culture Forum will also be held from 10:00 to 11:30 on the day. Teachers, practitioners and researchers in Chinese music and culture will share perspectives and explore the subject from a range of angles.

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For more information please E-mail: [email protected]

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