A Panorama of Hunan, performed by The Hunan Song & Dance Theatre, is to tour the UK in September performing a series of traditional and contemporary Chinese and Western pieces.
The centrepiece of the tour will be a flagship London concert at Central Hall Westminster on 11th September 2026, followed by performances in St George’s Bristol on 13th September 2026 and Cedars Hall, Wells, on 15th September.
The production draws inspiration from Hunan, a province in southern China known for its dramatic landscapes, rich folklore, and strong artistic traditions. The programme explores the breadth of Hunan and wider China’s musical expression through folk traditions, theatrical influences, landscape-inspired composition, and newly created works.
Everett Jenkins, Managing Director of TE creatives and producer of the concert, hopes that by focusing on Hunan’s music tradition, audiences will experience a selection of Chinese music they are unlikely to have experienced before.
“I think there’s a stereotype about what Chinese music is due to a lack of awareness. China is huge, and there is a variety of styles.
“It’s very much anchored in Hunan musical tradition. Some of the pieces will be very local to Hunan. Some of the melodies are very similar to local folk music. I thought that was something different, which the audience will enjoy”.
Taking place during the Mid-Autumn Festival season, the London performance will also include a specially curated selection of moon-inspired works, celebrating one of the most important dates in the Chinese cultural calendar.
As well as being performed by musicians from Hunan Song & Dance Theatre on instruments including the erhu, pipa, sheng, bamboo flute, and guzheng. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and conductor Thomas Payne will also join them.
Everett Jenkins explained this mix of Chinese and Western performers, and the inclusion of Western pieces was a deliberate choice: “I like to bring local elements to the tour. It’s all about collaboration. It sounds a bit cliché, but that dialogue is important. If you have something completely foreign, it doesn’t really resonate, so I want to present a different idea in a way that is also familiar.”
It is something A Panorama of Hunan previously did successfully at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, combining traditional Chinese instruments with performances from renowned Scottish fiddler Paul Anderson.
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