The Shanghai Percussion Ensemble

When the Shanghai Percussion Ensemble take to the stage as the coda to The China/Ireland Cultural Exchange, it will be a rousing finale to twelve months of unprecedented artistic dialogue between two contrasting countries on opposite sides of the globe.

For lovers of percussion in all its guises, it will be a unique experience. Chinese music is the zenith of the melodic and tonal qualities in percussion, expressed through its extraordinary instruments, from delicate hand cymbals to muted temple blocks and sonorous gongs.

S.P.E brings together leading members of The Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and under Musical Director Yang Liqing , the 15 member ensemble have performed across the globe, collaborating with musicians as diverse as Yo Yo Ma and Meredith Monk.

Here they present an engagingly diverse programme that embraces many aspects of China’s musical riches, from the folkloric to the contemporary, including the ambitious scope of leading composers Qu Xiaosong and Jia Daqun.