Chinese Culture Festival 2026: 'Resonance of Strings and Harmonics': Guqin Recital by Yao Gongbai

Guqin embodies the essence of over 3,000 years of Chinese cultural tradition.  This concert features a special recital by Yao Gongbai, among the first batch of representative inheritors of the art of guqin as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national-level, who has devoted nearly 70 years to the instrument.  Of the eight selected works spanning the Ming and Qing dynasties, four originate from the earliest extant guqin tablature collection, Shenqi Mipu (1425), and were reconstructed through deciphering historical guqin tablature by Yao’s father, Yao Bingyan.  A particular highlight is the world premiere of Flowing Water from Zhifa Huican Quejie (1821).  This version marks its transition from poetic abstraction to musical realism, and sheds light on the fascinating history underlying the 1977 version of Flowing Water being launched into outer space by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Programme:

• Lamenting the Past and Autumn Thoughts at Dongting Lake
• High Mountain
• Moon and Pavilion & Longing in the Mountains
• Da Hu Jia
• Dialogue Between the Fisherman and the Woodcutter
• Pure mind
• Flowing Water
• Guangling San

The performance will run for about 1 hour 35 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.

Tickets available from 14 April at all URBTIX outlets, self-service ticketing kiosks, on internet, by mobile app and telephone booking.

First batch of representative inheritors of the art of guqin as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national-level

Yao Gongbai

Yao Gongbai is a distinguished guqin virtuoso and a representative inheritor of the art of guqin as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national-level in 2008.  He is president of the Jinghe Guqin Society, researcher at the Cultural Department of Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong, part-time guqin lecturer at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and visiting professor at the Academy of Chinese Studies, Shenzhen University.

Born into a family of eminent guqin tradition, Yao Gongbai began his musical training under the guidance of his father, the renowned guqin master Yao Bingyan, and later studied with Wu Zhenping and Zhang Ziqian.  Deeply rooted in the Zhejiang Yao School, he has devoted nearly seven decades to continuous practice, developing a personal style noted for its inner calm, structural clarity and expressive restraint.  Among contemporary traditional guqin artists, his artistry stands apart for both authority and individuality.  Yao is particularly acclaimed for his interpretations of guqin repertoire reconstructed by Yao Bingyan, including the Hujia series, Guangling San, Magpies Crying at Night and Flowing Water.  In addition, he has reconstructed a number of lost or fragmentary works such as High Mountain, Cranes Singing High in the Marshes, Zepan Yin and Yizhen, and has composed new pieces including Jianjia Yin, Ode to the Lotus, Ode to Buddhist Chant, Ode to Non-Contention, and Lotus Affinity, extending traditional aesthetics into contemporary creation. 

Alongside performance, he has focused on the systematic documentation and study of Yao Bingyan’s guqin legacy in recent years, resulting in major publications such as Explorations into Guqin Repertoire (2018) and Manuscripts on Guqin Studies by Yao Bingyan (2019).  He has been actively engaged in teaching and promoting guqin music for many years, with students throughout Mainland as well as in Europe, America, Japan and Australia.  He is a frequent lecturer and performer at academic and cultural institutions worldwide.

Information provided by the Artist