Symphonic collaboration sets sail at Sydney Opera House

An orchestral collaboration is set to bring China’s folk heritage to the Australian stage in a fusion of cultural traditions and storytelling.

Musician Jiang Kemei, guest conductor Luke Spicer, Leaf flute and lusheng soloist Yang Shengdong, vocalist Yang Xiufan, chief conductor Long Guohong at The Sydney Opera House. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

East will meet west in an orchestral collaboration under the sails of the Opera House, as more than 70 musicians from China and Australia unite for a cross-cultural concert combining Chinese folk music with a western symphonic tradition.

The concert Folk Reimagined: East in Symphony will debut at Sydney’s most famous venue on Monday night before a performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday.

The collaboration features the Guizhou Chinese Orchestra and The Australia Orchestra joined by two renowned Chinese soloists and a grand choir.

Chief conductor of the Guizhou Chinese Orchestra, Long Guohong, will work alongside guest conductor Luke Spicer of Opera Australia to pull off the joint presentation.

Folk Reimagined: East In Symphony is on at the Sydney Opera House on the 7th July. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Folk Reimagined: East In Symphony is on at the Sydney Opera House on the 7th July. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Having travelled to Sydney from the inland south western Chinese province of Guizhou, Long said each melody “carries a story from the land where we come from”.

“I hope audiences in Australia will not only hear the music, but feel the heart of Guizhou,” he said.

“We hope to offer a fresh sound — one that speaks to both heritage and the contemporary spirit of our time.”

The program is set to span old and new compositions alike, culminating in the world premiere of Black Myth: Wukong – a symphonic composition inspired by the blockbuster Chinese video game of the same name.