The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the 2026 "Tan Dun WE-Festival" in early December. Curated by Hong Kong's Ambassador for Cultural Promotion and internationally renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun, the Festival features the first joint performance by two prestigious national art troupes - the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) and the CNSO Chorus, in Hong Kong, presenting timeless masterpieces by Beethoven and Mozart, as well as well-known pieces of Tan. Two symphonic choral concerts blending Eastern and Western classical elegance will be staged, alongside a free concert paired with a pre-concert symposium. Tickets will go on sale from October 28 (Wednesday).
 
"9&9" (December 2)
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     This opening concert will feature Tan's "9" (Hong Kong premiere), the world's first choral concerto. Rooted in the "Nine Songs" by Chu poet Qu Yuan from "Chu Ci" while reconstructing the exact core orchestra and choral size as the premiere of Beethoven's "Symphony No.9", the work infuses distinctive Eastern percussion and chanting into a Western orchestral framework, reimagining the sacrificial ritual music of the ancient Chu people. This masterpiece initiates a transcendent, cross-temporal musical dialogue with the "Symphony No. 9", which comes next on the programme. Joining the performance are four outstanding vocalists - soprano Louise Kwong, mezzo-soprano Niru Liu, tenor Li Yi and bass Yang Yi.
 
"Mozart and Ode To Joy" (December 3)
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     The second concert will open with the grand and spirited strains of Beethoven's Overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus". This is followed by Mozart's sublime classic, "Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat", which will be performed by rising stars violinist Nina Wong and violist Yan Lok Hoi. The second half features another rendition of the choral concerto "9", culminating in Beethoven's immortal "Ode to Joy", which highlights the perfect harmony of Eastern and Western philosophy and artistic form.
 
     The two above-mentioned concerts will be held at 8pm at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $250, $350, $450 and $550 will be available from October 28 (Wednesday) onwards at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. A 30 per cent early bird discount will be offered from October 28 to November 10 for any purchase of standard tickets for the concerts.
 
"Feng Ya Song & Ode to Joy - A Transcendent Dialogue between Tan Dun and Beethoven" (December 5)
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     The Festival also extends its reach with a free pre-concert symposium and a subsequent concert to be held at the Hall of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The pre-concert symposium will host a dialogue between the Director and Executive Director of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, Malte Boecker, and Tan. In the subsequent concert, young violinists Nina Wong and Alvin Chan, violist Lawrence Wong and cellist Nie Jiapeng will perform Tan's string quartet "Feng Ya Song" and works inspired by Beethoven. Admission is free, with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
     First held in 2023, the "Tan Dun WE-Festival" leverages this East-meets-West musical celebration to establish Hong Kong as an international stage for cultural and arts exchanges, showcasing the city's unique advantage as a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures. This year, numerous local young musicians have been invited to participate in the Festival, sharing the stage with artists from various regions to ignite creativity and deliver fresh artistic visions.
 
     For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_2026.html.

Ends/Monday, October 26, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:10

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