UK Chinese Ensemble
The UK and Europe's leading Chinese music agency
Formally established in 1996, the UK Chinese Ensemble (UKCE) is a dedicated professional Chinese music organisation comprising renowned Chinese virtuosi resident mainly in Britain. Its founding members include world-class guqin master professor Li Xiangting, Daoist and erhu music expert Chen Dacan and pipa/guqin virtuoso and ethnomusicologist Dr Cheng Yu.
Since its inception, the ensemble and its musicians have performed many hundreds of concerts, festivals and workshops throughout the UK and in Europe. The group has appeared at such major venues as the London Southbank Centre's Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Opera House and at the Brighton, Edinburgh and Pontardawe (Wales) Festivals. In Europe and beyond, the musicians have performed at the festivals of WOMEX (Spain), WOMAD (Canada, Sweden and Finland), Spoleto (Italy), Masala (Germany) and Babel Med Music (France). Apart from many published CD albums, the musicians are in demand for film and TV music recordings such as Disney's film Mulan and Shanghai Noon and the BBC's Wild China documentary. The UKCE has initiated and supported its award-winning group the Silk String Quartet and the popular Silk and Bamboo Ensemble as well as a Chinese-Western mixed ensemble, the Yin-Yang Collective.
Gallery
Audio and video samples
Good News from Beijing
Greensleeves
Aims
The aim of the organisation is to foster and support a sustainable Chinese musicians' collective to promote the practice, understanding and development of Chinese music in multi-cultural Britain and beyond.
Objectives
- To present and develop a wide variety of traditional repertoires
- To perform contemporary, new and specially commissioned music
- To engage in educational and school music projects
- To collaborate for the production of cross-cultural and cross-genre music works
- To encourage creative and experimental music adventures
- To perform recording and multi-media sound projects
What does UKCE offer?
- Concerts and tours
- Workshops/courses for schools (singing/percussion/instruments/music making)
- Festivals and cultural events
- China themed events - e.g. China Week and China Day
- Music recordings for CD, Radio, TV, Film and other multimedia projects.
- Music for co-operations and functions
- Musical instrument hire
- Music tuition on individual instruments and for ensemble classes
Reviews
"...an excellent group of Chinese virtuosi..." The Wire, Adventures in Modern Music.
"These are musicians to cherish, and to hear more often on the concert stage..." Journal of the European Foundation for Chinese Music Research (Chime).
"a virtuoso ensemble with such an exotic style... brilliant and impressive" - The Scotsman.
"a wonderful performance by the Chinese musicians...unique... excellent and enthralling" - Toronto Weekly News & Entertainment Voice.
Main members of the ensemble
Cheng Yu - pipa (4-stringed lute) and qin (7-stringed zither)
Chen Dacan - erhu, gaohu, jinghu (fiddles)
Hu Bin - erhu
Hu Ruijun - dizi and xiao (bamboo flutes)
Kim-Ho Ip - yangqin (hammered dulcimer)
Li Ming - yangqin (hammered dulcimer)
Liu Qing - erhu
Liu Xiaohu - sheng (mouth organ) and guanzi (double reed pipe), xun (ocarina)
Sun Zhuo - guzheng (21-stringed zither)
Wang Xiao - erhu (2-stringed fiddle)
Xiao Ying - guzheng
Zhou Jinyan - yangqin
Zhao Zhangren - yangqin
Zhu Xiaomeng - guzheng
The UK Chinese Ensemble is keen to take on fresh talent. We welcome UK-based professional, experienced Chinese musicians (instrumentalists, singers, opera artistes) to join us. If you are interested in joining our activities, please feel free to contact us.