The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) will collaborate with saxophonist Christian Wirth to present a night of ancient Chinese music and a concerto. HKCO’s artistic director Yan Huichang will wield the baton.

    The first half of the concert will feature Qiuci music, originating from the ancient Buddhist kingdom Qiuci. The second half will be “The Silk Road Fantasia Suite” with saxophonist Wirth as a soloist.

    Qiuci was located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin and south of the Muzat River. The area lies in present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang.

    A specific style of music developed within the region, Qiuci music gained popularity as it spread along the trade lines of the Silk Road. Lively scenes of Qiuci music and dancing can be found in the Kizil Caves and are described in the writings of Xuanzang. Qiuci music was very popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

    HKCO is an orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments based in Hong Kong. It was established in 1977 and comprises 85 musicians. Its repertoire includes traditional, contemporary and popular pieces, and it has commissioned numerous works by local composers from Hong Kong as well as composers around the world. In 2002, the orchestra was awarded for “The Most Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Contemporary Chinese Music” by the International Society of Contemporary Music.

    In 2001, it recorded the largest number of people performing the erhu at the same time with 1,000 players performing at a mass performance entitled “Music From a Thousand Strings.” In 2005, it set another world record for having the largest number of people playing the flute together in the Flute and Xiao Festival 2005.

    Time: 8 p.m., March 28

    Tickets: 80-580 yuan

    Booking: 400-185-8666

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News)