Sound of Dragon Music Festival – Concert 1:

Jade Emperor’s Great Race

PhoeNX Ensemble (Toronto) & Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taiwan)
【生肖紀年】– 鳳鳴九皋樂集(多倫多)、小巨人絲竹樂團(台灣)
8pm Thursday April 2, 2026年4月2日星期四晚上8點
The Annex, 823 Seymour Street, Vancouver

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Jade Emperor’s Great Race is a Chinese legend of the 12-year zodiac cycle. To measure time, the Emperor held a race, awarding the first 12 animals to arrive with a corresponding year. The order was: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The PhoeNX Ensemble has commissioned 14 works in the themes of the 12 animals and the Jade Emperor from award-winning composers in Asia and across Canada. 

相傳玉帝為了選出12種動物來紀年，舉辦了百獸賽跑，最終勝出者奠定了12生肖的排名。多倫多鳳鳴九皋樂集(PhoeNX Ensemble)將攜手台灣的小巨人絲竹樂團(Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra)，以中西合璧的樂器組合，演繹亞洲及加拿大一共13位著名作曲家以12生肖及玉皇大帝為主題創作的樂曲。

PhoeNX Ensemble brings together East Asian and Western instruments and traditions in contemporary cross-cultural chamber music. The ensemble is dedicated to explore, promote, and expand the cultural exchange between the East and the West through performances, educational presentations, commissioning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. PhoeNX ENsemble’s projects are based on compelling stories of true history, traditional mythology, or tales of life-lessons learned through fables. With music ranging from time-honoured, Eastern-oriented classics to freshly commissioned contemporary new music, the audience is treated to a journey across cultures, languages, borders, and time….and ultimately: a journey of hope and inspiration.

Patty Chan 陳慧敏 – erhu 二胡
Sanya Eng 伍嘉珍 – harp 豎琴
Ryan Scott – percussion 打擊

with Vancouver guest Sungyong Lim 林成容 – cello 大提琴

鳳鳴九皋樂集由二胡演奏家陳慧敏(Patty Chan)及豎琴演奏家伍嘉珍(Sanya Eng)發起成立，積極委託創作結合中西樂器的跨文化作品，以歷史文化、傳說故事為背景，探索傳統器樂的新方向。

Formed in 2000 in Taipei, the Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (gCO) breathes new life into an art form that holds ancient roots, and devotes itself to promoting Chinese music on the world stage. The gCO has commissioned/premiered over 200 works and offers a full season of approximately thirty concerts a year at the prestigious National Concert Hall in Taiwan, presenting both the full orchestra of over one hundred musicians and smaller chamber ensembles throughout the year. It has toured multiple times in German, Holland, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, US, Canada, Chile, and Mexico. In addition, the gCO presents over 60 educational performances every year, introducing thousands of young audience to Chinese music in every city in Taiwan, including small communities off the main island.

Chih Sheng Chen 陳志昇 – conductor 指揮
Fu-Yun Teng 鄧馥芸 – dizi 笛子
Chung-Chi Tsai 蔡忠祈 – erhu 二胡
Fu-Hsuan Teng 鄧馥萱 – pipa 琵琶

2000年成立於台北的小巨人絲竹樂團，足跡遍佈德國、荷蘭、加拿大、美國、墨西哥、智利、新加坡、韓國、印度、中國、香港等地，獲得「台新藝術獎」十大表演藝術節目，並由2005年起入選財團法人國家文化藝術基金會演藝團隊年度獎助專案。樂團已完成近200首樂曲的委託創作暨世界首演，及超過300首當代作品的台灣首演，對於台灣本土國樂風格的樹立，跨民族、跨文化、跨藝術類別的多元拓展影響深遠。

Some of the percussion instruments are provided by Jonathan Bernard and the Orchid Ensemble.