Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble Presents “Resonance of Dunhuang”
North American Debut
Celebrating the 56th Anniversary of Canada-China Diplomatic Relations
Vast desert landscapes.
The sound of camel bells along the Silk Road.
Brilliant murals.
The mysterious world of Dunhuang.
For generations, Dunhuang has captured the imagination of people around the world. Many even say, “You have to visit Dunhuang at least once in your lifetime.”
Now, a young Hong Kong ensemble made up primarily of millennial and Gen Z musicians whose journey spans 3,500 kilometers and 1,600 years, is forging a deep and enduring connection with Dunhuang culture.
The sound of camel bells along the Silk Road.
Brilliant murals.
The mysterious world of Dunhuang.
For generations, Dunhuang has captured the imagination of people around the world. Many even say, “You have to visit Dunhuang at least once in your lifetime.”
Now, a young Hong Kong ensemble made up primarily of millennial and Gen Z musicians whose journey spans 3,500 kilometers and 1,600 years, is forging a deep and enduring connection with Dunhuang culture.
Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble
It is the only ensemble to have performed twice at the iconic Nine-Story Pagoda of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.
By reviving and reconstructing ancient Chinese instruments depicted in the Dunhuang murals, and creating original works inspired by 25 ancient musical scores preserved in Mogao Cave 17, the ensemble explores the voice of culture through music—from Dunhuang to the world, and from the ancient past to the future.
TORONTO - OTTAWA
Tickets Now on Sale!
CONCERT
TORONTO
Jane Mallett Theatre
October 9, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Tickets: $138 / $58 / $38
Duration: 110 minutes
Ticket Purchase Link:
Live Nation — Resonance of Dunhuang
Scan QR code for ticket purchase:
Tickets Now on Sale!
CONCERT
TORONTO
Jane Mallett Theatre
October 9, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Tickets: $138 / $58 / $38
Duration: 110 minutes
Ticket Purchase Link:
Live Nation — Resonance of Dunhuang
Scan QR code for ticket purchase:
🍁
OTTAWA
Algonquin Commons Theatre
October 10, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Tickets: $128 / $58 / $38
Duration: 110 minutes
Ticket Purchase Link:
Ticketmaster — Resonance of Dunhuang
Scan QR code for ticket purchase:
☘️☘️☘️
LECTURE (Toronto only）
Date: October 9, 2026
Time: 16:00
Venue: Lobby, Jane Mallet Theatre
Speaker: Dr. Zhao Shingling, former Director of the Dunhuang Academy
Admission: Free, first come, first served.
The lecture will be presented in Chinese with English subtitles.
Advance registration: click the link below
Register for the free lecture
☘️ Bringing the Sounds of Dunhuang to Life
Dunhuang was a major crossroads of civilizations along the ancient Silk Road and holds a special place in both Chinese and world culture. Its historical, artistic and cultural significance is reflected most famously in the Mogao Caves, one of China’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble transforms the rich visual and cultural heritage of the Mogao Caves into a contemporary musical experience, using music to connect the past, present and future.
Dunhuang was a major crossroads of civilizations along the ancient Silk Road and holds a special place in both Chinese and world culture. Its historical, artistic and cultural significance is reflected most famously in the Mogao Caves, one of China’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble transforms the rich visual and cultural heritage of the Mogao Caves into a contemporary musical experience, using music to connect the past, present and future.
“In the Mogao Caves, music is everywhere in the murals, but it exists only visually—we cannot hear it. Through imagination, we create our own vision of what the music depicted in those murals 1,600 years ago might have sounded like, and bring this lost ancient music to audiences.”
— Ms. Gi Man-fung, Founder of the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble
This idea captures the ensemble’s artistic approach: looking back to cultural heritage while embracing creativity and innovation. Their work goes beyond simply performing music. It seeks to bring ancient culture into dialogue with contemporary audiences and give new life to a remarkable musical heritage.
Founded in 2018, the ensemble consists of eight young Hong Kong musicians and two resident composers. The musicians perform on instruments reconstructed from those depicted in the Dunhuang murals, presenting contemporary Chinese music composed by two talented young composers, Kam Shing Hei and Chu Kai Yeung.
Their original works combine traditional Buddhist stories with contemporary musical techniques and are accompanied by original animations inspired by the caves’ murals and architecture. Through this interdisciplinary approach, the ensemble explores new ways of presenting Dunhuang culture in a contemporary context.
Since its establishment, the ensemble has developed a distinctive presence in the promotion and reinterpretation of Silk Road and Dunhuang culture. Its performances have been presented in more than 20 cities around the world, including London, Paris, Bangkok and Tokyo, with more than 100 performances internationally.
Guided by the principles of heritage, preservation and innovation, the ensemble seeks to revive and reinterpret Dunhuang’s cultural heritage, transforming the art of the grottoes into contemporary musical expression. It is both a tribute to the past and a new artistic dialogue with the present.
☘️ Media Reception
As described in a review by CanChamHK, the ensemble turns centuries of visual history and ancient musical traditions into a contemporary musical journey. Its work demonstrates how innovation can breathe new life into ancient texts and images, while showing how art can connect people across time and place.
The South China Morning Post has also highlighted the ensemble’s efforts since 2018 to bring ancient Dunhuang music to life and transform it into a contemporary artistic experience.
— Ms. Gi Man-fung, Founder of the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble
This idea captures the ensemble’s artistic approach: looking back to cultural heritage while embracing creativity and innovation. Their work goes beyond simply performing music. It seeks to bring ancient culture into dialogue with contemporary audiences and give new life to a remarkable musical heritage.
Founded in 2018, the ensemble consists of eight young Hong Kong musicians and two resident composers. The musicians perform on instruments reconstructed from those depicted in the Dunhuang murals, presenting contemporary Chinese music composed by two talented young composers, Kam Shing Hei and Chu Kai Yeung.
Their original works combine traditional Buddhist stories with contemporary musical techniques and are accompanied by original animations inspired by the caves’ murals and architecture. Through this interdisciplinary approach, the ensemble explores new ways of presenting Dunhuang culture in a contemporary context.
Since its establishment, the ensemble has developed a distinctive presence in the promotion and reinterpretation of Silk Road and Dunhuang culture. Its performances have been presented in more than 20 cities around the world, including London, Paris, Bangkok and Tokyo, with more than 100 performances internationally.
Guided by the principles of heritage, preservation and innovation, the ensemble seeks to revive and reinterpret Dunhuang’s cultural heritage, transforming the art of the grottoes into contemporary musical expression. It is both a tribute to the past and a new artistic dialogue with the present.
☘️ Media Reception
As described in a review by CanChamHK, the ensemble turns centuries of visual history and ancient musical traditions into a contemporary musical journey. Its work demonstrates how innovation can breathe new life into ancient texts and images, while showing how art can connect people across time and place.
The South China Morning Post has also highlighted the ensemble’s efforts since 2018 to bring ancient Dunhuang music to life and transform it into a contemporary artistic experience.
🪷 From Dunhuang to the World
Dunhuang was once a vibrant international city and an important crossroads for trade along the Silk Road. In some ways, Hong Kong has played a similarly important role as a meeting point between cultures. For the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble, telling these stories through music is a natural extension of that connection.
The ensemble’s Canadian tour aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce audiences to the richness of Chinese culture. At the same time, it seeks to preserve Dunhuang’s invaluable cultural heritage while creating a dialogue between history and contemporary artistic expression.
With “Resonance of Dunhuang” as its central theme, the concert takes audiences on a journey across time. Through original music, ancient traditions are reinterpreted and carried forward, while the wisdom of the past inspires new possibilities for the future.
From Dunhuang to the world, the ensemble continues to explore the power of music to connect the past, present and future.
Dunhuang was once a vibrant international city and an important crossroads for trade along the Silk Road. In some ways, Hong Kong has played a similarly important role as a meeting point between cultures. For the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble, telling these stories through music is a natural extension of that connection.
The ensemble’s Canadian tour aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce audiences to the richness of Chinese culture. At the same time, it seeks to preserve Dunhuang’s invaluable cultural heritage while creating a dialogue between history and contemporary artistic expression.
With “Resonance of Dunhuang” as its central theme, the concert takes audiences on a journey across time. Through original music, ancient traditions are reinterpreted and carried forward, while the wisdom of the past inspires new possibilities for the future.
From Dunhuang to the world, the ensemble continues to explore the power of music to connect the past, present and future.
☘️ PROGRAM
1. Ode to the Great Tang Dynasty
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
The Amitayurdhyana Sutra Transformation was a popular subject in Tang-dynasty Buddhist art. The murals depict the Western Pure Land, where bodhisattvas and heavenly beings listen to Buddhist teachings in magnificent palaces, while dancers and musicians perform in celebration of the Buddha.
Ode to the Great Tang Dynasty portrays the grandeur, solemnity and sacred atmosphere of the Tang imperial court and the Buddhist Pure Land as imagined through these magnificent murals.
2. Suite of Three Animals
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“Teng Xiang”: “Sweeping away the ordinary horses of a thousand ages.”
“The White Rabbit Pounding Herbs”: “The sky is dark, the clouds are hazy; the white rabbit pounds medicine in Chang’e’s palace.”
“The Nine-Colored Deer”: Inspired by the Buddhist Jataka tale The Nine-Colored Deer, this work tells the story of a nine-colored deer who saves a drowning man, only to be betrayed by him for personal gain.
From the perspective of an observer, the music follows the changing emotions of rescue, gratitude and betrayal. Changes in melody and dynamics bring the story’s dramatic arc to life.
3. Water Drum Tune
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
Water Drum Tune is the 25th piece in the collection of ancient Dunhuang musical scores. For this contemporary interpretation, the composer reimagines the ancient Chinese melody through a musical form commonly used in 17th-century Western Baroque music: the fugue.
The word “fugue” comes from the Latin word meaning “to chase.” Built on imitative counterpoint, a musical theme enters in one voice and is subsequently repeated and developed by other voices, creating an effect of musical pursuit.
Here, the subject being “chased” and imitated is the ancient Dunhuang melody of Water Drum Tune.
By combining elements and techniques from Chinese and Western classical music, the composer creates a distinctive contemporary work while using the energetic texture of the fugue to evoke the lively, relaxed and everyday atmosphere depicted in Dunhuang murals.
4. Three Variations on Yangguan
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“In the morning rain of Weicheng, the light dust is moistened…” Based on Wang Wei’s famous Tang-dynasty poem Seeing Yuan Er Off on a Mission to Anxi, Three Variations on Yangguan is a classic Chinese work also known as Yangguan Melody or Weicheng Melody.
The composer uses reconstructed Tang-style instruments for the ensemble, incorporating fragments and musical materials from the original melody and reshaping them through contemporary arranging techniques.
The result offers audiences a fresh perspective on this familiar Chinese classic.
5. Hands Offering Flowers
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
In Dunhuang Pure Land murals, many bodhisattvas are depicted offering flowers and water before the Buddha in praise of his teachings. Their graceful hands and delicate gestures are among the most expressive details of these paintings. With flowing musical lines, Hands Offering Flowers captures the elegant curves, movements and rhythms of the bodhisattvas’ hands, translating their visual beauty into sound.
6. Enlightenment
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“Past Life · Present Life · Future Life”
Inspired by the reclining Buddha depicting the death of Shakyamuni Buddha in Mogao Cave 158, Enlightenment explores philosophical ideas surrounding the cycle of life and rebirth.
The work unfolds in three sections representing past life, present life and future life. It begins with distant, ethereal sounds suggesting the passage of thousands of years. The middle section explores the experiences and reflections of the present life, while the final section returns to a sense of serenity and grandeur, evoking the clarity and transcendence of enlightenment.
7. Heavenly Sound
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
This work expresses the composer’s imagination of the Pure Land depicted in the Dunhuang murals.
Through music, the two-dimensional murals are transformed into an immersive soundscape, inviting audiences to imagine themselves inside the world of Dunhuang.
The middle section incorporates material from the ancient Dunhuang pipa score Slow Tune: Matters of the Heart, translated by the renowned scholar Professor Jao Tsung-i. The ancient melody enters into dialogue with the contemporary theme, creating a musical conversation between past and present while paying tribute to Professor Jao’s contributions to Dunhuang studies.
8. The Spirit of Mogao
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
The title draws inspiration from the concept of “human sounds” (renlai) in Zhuangzi’s Discussion on Making All Things Equal, in contrast with “sounds of the earth” (dilai) and “sounds of heaven” (tianlai).
When people think of Dunhuang’s artistic achievements—from transformation murals to Buddhist sculptures—they often describe them as works inspired by heaven, or “heavenly sounds.” Yet behind these achievements were generations of human beings. Ancient craftsmen carved grottoes, created sculptures and painted murals. Today, scholars, artists and cultural professionals continue to protect, preserve and reinterpret Dunhuang’s heritage.
The Spirit of Mogao is dedicated to everyone who has devoted their lives to Dunhuang, especially musicologist Professor Xi Zhen-guan, whose lifelong work contributed to the interpretation and translation of ancient Dunhuang pipa scores.
9. Thank You for Your Time
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
Time.
Music is the art of time.
Culture is the accumulation of time.
Life is the flow of time.
Time seems to disappear relentlessly from the beginning of creation. Yet without human lives experiencing, struggling with and reflecting upon the passage of time, thousands of years would have little meaning.
Life gives time its purpose.
A Beethoven note can become eternal in a single moment inside a concert hall. The delicate blue of Ru porcelain can bring the past and future together. This is the power of time—and the beauty of life.
Dunhuang, the Forbidden City and two thousand years of cultural heritage all rest upon the lives of countless individuals. To marvel at the greatness of civilization is also to marvel at the extraordinary nature of human life.
Hong Kong, the past and the future—culture is the continuing flow of human life. A museum may be a cold, enclosed space, but its warmth comes from the people who keep culture alive. Over time, understanding and shared appreciation develop; when they are passed on, time acquires meaning.
That is culture.
Sound and music are expressions of emotion. Turning scripture into paintings is an act of emotion. Turning paintings into music is an act of emotion. Performing music is an act of emotion. Listening to music and taking it into our hearts is also an act of emotion.
Thank you for your time. Dedicated to the cultural guardians of Dunhuang, the Forbidden City and museums around the world who devote their lives to preserving and passing on cultural heritage.
10. ENCORE
Longevity · Elegance · Martial Spirit
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
Longevity · Elegance · Martial Spirit was inspired by three treasured works from Hong Kong museums that were featured in the television series National Treasures.
The first section draws on the Hong Kong Museum of History’s Birthday Celebration Scroll of the Tang Clan of Ping Shan, transforming its auspicious red-and-yellow motifs into lively percussion and energetic melodies celebrating longevity and respect for elders.
The middle section takes inspiration from the calligraphy and paintings in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, particularly the work Six Poems in the Qi Style. Focusing on the theme of “The Rooster Crows,” it depicts a warm morning interaction between husband and wife. Through a light-hearted yet affectionate musical dialogue, the work reveals the delicate emotional world of people in the past.
The final section pays tribute to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s iconic Bruce Lee yellow jumpsuit, combining dynamic rhythms and visual elements to evoke Bruce Lee’s distinctive spirit and energy, while celebrating Hong Kong’s film culture.
The complete work is a musical journey through Hong Kong’s museums, inviting audiences to experience the depth, vitality and rhythm of local culture.
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
The Amitayurdhyana Sutra Transformation was a popular subject in Tang-dynasty Buddhist art. The murals depict the Western Pure Land, where bodhisattvas and heavenly beings listen to Buddhist teachings in magnificent palaces, while dancers and musicians perform in celebration of the Buddha.
Ode to the Great Tang Dynasty portrays the grandeur, solemnity and sacred atmosphere of the Tang imperial court and the Buddhist Pure Land as imagined through these magnificent murals.
2. Suite of Three Animals
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“Teng Xiang”: “Sweeping away the ordinary horses of a thousand ages.”
“The White Rabbit Pounding Herbs”: “The sky is dark, the clouds are hazy; the white rabbit pounds medicine in Chang’e’s palace.”
“The Nine-Colored Deer”: Inspired by the Buddhist Jataka tale The Nine-Colored Deer, this work tells the story of a nine-colored deer who saves a drowning man, only to be betrayed by him for personal gain.
From the perspective of an observer, the music follows the changing emotions of rescue, gratitude and betrayal. Changes in melody and dynamics bring the story’s dramatic arc to life.
3. Water Drum Tune
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
Water Drum Tune is the 25th piece in the collection of ancient Dunhuang musical scores. For this contemporary interpretation, the composer reimagines the ancient Chinese melody through a musical form commonly used in 17th-century Western Baroque music: the fugue.
The word “fugue” comes from the Latin word meaning “to chase.” Built on imitative counterpoint, a musical theme enters in one voice and is subsequently repeated and developed by other voices, creating an effect of musical pursuit.
Here, the subject being “chased” and imitated is the ancient Dunhuang melody of Water Drum Tune.
By combining elements and techniques from Chinese and Western classical music, the composer creates a distinctive contemporary work while using the energetic texture of the fugue to evoke the lively, relaxed and everyday atmosphere depicted in Dunhuang murals.
4. Three Variations on Yangguan
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“In the morning rain of Weicheng, the light dust is moistened…” Based on Wang Wei’s famous Tang-dynasty poem Seeing Yuan Er Off on a Mission to Anxi, Three Variations on Yangguan is a classic Chinese work also known as Yangguan Melody or Weicheng Melody.
The composer uses reconstructed Tang-style instruments for the ensemble, incorporating fragments and musical materials from the original melody and reshaping them through contemporary arranging techniques.
The result offers audiences a fresh perspective on this familiar Chinese classic.
5. Hands Offering Flowers
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
In Dunhuang Pure Land murals, many bodhisattvas are depicted offering flowers and water before the Buddha in praise of his teachings. Their graceful hands and delicate gestures are among the most expressive details of these paintings. With flowing musical lines, Hands Offering Flowers captures the elegant curves, movements and rhythms of the bodhisattvas’ hands, translating their visual beauty into sound.
6. Enlightenment
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
“Past Life · Present Life · Future Life”
Inspired by the reclining Buddha depicting the death of Shakyamuni Buddha in Mogao Cave 158, Enlightenment explores philosophical ideas surrounding the cycle of life and rebirth.
The work unfolds in three sections representing past life, present life and future life. It begins with distant, ethereal sounds suggesting the passage of thousands of years. The middle section explores the experiences and reflections of the present life, while the final section returns to a sense of serenity and grandeur, evoking the clarity and transcendence of enlightenment.
7. Heavenly Sound
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
This work expresses the composer’s imagination of the Pure Land depicted in the Dunhuang murals.
Through music, the two-dimensional murals are transformed into an immersive soundscape, inviting audiences to imagine themselves inside the world of Dunhuang.
The middle section incorporates material from the ancient Dunhuang pipa score Slow Tune: Matters of the Heart, translated by the renowned scholar Professor Jao Tsung-i. The ancient melody enters into dialogue with the contemporary theme, creating a musical conversation between past and present while paying tribute to Professor Jao’s contributions to Dunhuang studies.
8. The Spirit of Mogao
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
The title draws inspiration from the concept of “human sounds” (renlai) in Zhuangzi’s Discussion on Making All Things Equal, in contrast with “sounds of the earth” (dilai) and “sounds of heaven” (tianlai).
When people think of Dunhuang’s artistic achievements—from transformation murals to Buddhist sculptures—they often describe them as works inspired by heaven, or “heavenly sounds.” Yet behind these achievements were generations of human beings. Ancient craftsmen carved grottoes, created sculptures and painted murals. Today, scholars, artists and cultural professionals continue to protect, preserve and reinterpret Dunhuang’s heritage.
The Spirit of Mogao is dedicated to everyone who has devoted their lives to Dunhuang, especially musicologist Professor Xi Zhen-guan, whose lifelong work contributed to the interpretation and translation of ancient Dunhuang pipa scores.
9. Thank You for Your Time
Composer: Kam Shing Hei
Time.
Music is the art of time.
Culture is the accumulation of time.
Life is the flow of time.
Time seems to disappear relentlessly from the beginning of creation. Yet without human lives experiencing, struggling with and reflecting upon the passage of time, thousands of years would have little meaning.
Life gives time its purpose.
A Beethoven note can become eternal in a single moment inside a concert hall. The delicate blue of Ru porcelain can bring the past and future together. This is the power of time—and the beauty of life.
Dunhuang, the Forbidden City and two thousand years of cultural heritage all rest upon the lives of countless individuals. To marvel at the greatness of civilization is also to marvel at the extraordinary nature of human life.
Hong Kong, the past and the future—culture is the continuing flow of human life. A museum may be a cold, enclosed space, but its warmth comes from the people who keep culture alive. Over time, understanding and shared appreciation develop; when they are passed on, time acquires meaning.
That is culture.
Sound and music are expressions of emotion. Turning scripture into paintings is an act of emotion. Turning paintings into music is an act of emotion. Performing music is an act of emotion. Listening to music and taking it into our hearts is also an act of emotion.
Thank you for your time. Dedicated to the cultural guardians of Dunhuang, the Forbidden City and museums around the world who devote their lives to preserving and passing on cultural heritage.
10. ENCORE
Longevity · Elegance · Martial Spirit
Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
Longevity · Elegance · Martial Spirit was inspired by three treasured works from Hong Kong museums that were featured in the television series National Treasures.
The first section draws on the Hong Kong Museum of History’s Birthday Celebration Scroll of the Tang Clan of Ping Shan, transforming its auspicious red-and-yellow motifs into lively percussion and energetic melodies celebrating longevity and respect for elders.
The middle section takes inspiration from the calligraphy and paintings in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, particularly the work Six Poems in the Qi Style. Focusing on the theme of “The Rooster Crows,” it depicts a warm morning interaction between husband and wife. Through a light-hearted yet affectionate musical dialogue, the work reveals the delicate emotional world of people in the past.
The final section pays tribute to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s iconic Bruce Lee yellow jumpsuit, combining dynamic rhythms and visual elements to evoke Bruce Lee’s distinctive spirit and energy, while celebrating Hong Kong’s film culture.
The complete work is a musical journey through Hong Kong’s museums, inviting audiences to experience the depth, vitality and rhythm of local culture.
☘️ ARTISTIC TEAM
Executive Director: Gi Man-fung
Artistic Director, Resident Composer & Conductor: Kam Shing Hei
Deputy Artistic Director, General Manager, Technical Director & Resident Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
Musicians
Pipa: Chan Wan Yin
Guzheng / Konghou: Chan Tin Tze
Ruan: Lau Mo Wah
Ruan: Pang Wing Man
Xiao / Dizi / Xun: Kwok Shun Hei
Sheng: Yu Kin Long
Percussion: Chan Chun Sum
Percussion: Tam Sze Wai
Executive Director: Gi Man-fung
Artistic Director, Resident Composer & Conductor: Kam Shing Hei
Deputy Artistic Director, General Manager, Technical Director & Resident Composer: Chu Kai Yeung
Musicians
Pipa: Chan Wan Yin
Guzheng / Konghou: Chan Tin Tze
Ruan: Lau Mo Wah
Ruan: Pang Wing Man
Xiao / Dizi / Xun: Kwok Shun Hei
Sheng: Yu Kin Long
Percussion: Chan Chun Sum
Percussion: Tam Sze Wai