The Jade Emperor's Great Race

Venue: ANNEX

Sound of Dragon presents The Jade Emperor's Great Race

PhoeNX Ensemble (Toronto) and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taiwan)

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: Dorothy Chang (BC), Bekah Simms (ON), Lan Tung (BC), Alexina Louie (ON), Vincent Ho (AB), Alice Ho (ON), Andrew Staniland (NFLD), Cecilia Heejeong Kim (Korea), Roydon Tse (SK), Emilie LeBel (AB), Sophie Dupuis (NB), Alfred Wong (Hong Kong), and John Oliver (BC). At the 2026 Sound of Dragon Music Festival, the PhoeNX Ensemble will collaborate with Taiwan’s Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra to give the B.C. premiere of this program.

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

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