Callout to Composers
Deadline: October 1, 2026
The Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble is seeking aspiring and innovative composers from across Canada to create new works for our third Composer Commission Project.
Through this project, five selected composers will each receive a $500 CAD commission to compose a 5–7 minute work for members of the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. The program welcomes composers from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds and at various stages of their careers. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously worked with Chinese instruments.
Throughout the creative process, selected composers will work closely with Artistic Director Jirong Huang and Resident Composer Alan Lau in developing their compositions. The new works will first be rehearsed in a public reading session (tentatively scheduled for Spring 2027), where composers will have the opportunity to interact directly with the musicians and refine their compositions based on feedback. The finalized compositions will be presented at a concert in Fall 2027.
​​
Interested composers are encouraged to attend the community workshop Erhu to Cantopop: Five Thousand Springs of Chinese Sound to gain musical and cultural context, hear the instruments up close, and explore ideas that can shape new compositions.
​​
Eligibility:
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. There is no age restriction. Composers from all musical and cultural backgrounds are welcome to apply. Priority will be given to emerging composers. Applicants must cover their costs to attend workshops, rehearsals, and the final concert presentation.
​
Submission Requirements:
-
Audio and/or video samples of existing work (up to 3 pieces; online links accepted)
-
Curriculum Vitae (including contact information and valid email address)
-
Short statement of interest (maximum one page)
Selected composers will be notified by November 30, 2026.
Erhu to Cantopop: Five Thousand Springs of Chinese Sound
Saturday April 11, 2026
2:30-4:30pm
Chinese Canadian Museum
51 East Pender Street, Vancouver
A public workshop exploring the rich and colourful history and practice of Chinese music and instruments
Why attend: Meet the ensemble, gain musical and cultural context for writing new music.
For composers: A rare chance to hear Chinese instruments up close and explore their sound, range, and musical character.
Workshop admission: $15 Includes access to the Dream Factory: Cantopop exhibition.
Event Snapshot
Erhu to Cantopop: Five Thousand Springs of Chinese Sound is an immersive Chinese music workshop that invites audiences to explore the sound, history, and cultural depth of traditional Chinese music and instruments. Through live music, storytelling, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on experiences, participants will discover how Chinese music has evolved across regions, generations, and artistic traditions.
The workshop features the distinctive sounds of instruments such as the erhu, suona, sheng, pipa, and guzheng, giving music lovers, curious newcomers, and cultural enthusiasts a rare chance to experience these instruments up close.
Inspired by the Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s to 2000s exhibition, the workshop also explores the connection between language tones and Chinese music, the development of Cantopop, and the legacy of legendary composer Joseph Koo Ka-fai, often celebrated as the Father of Cantopop.
This event is especially valuable for composers interested in writing music for Chinese instruments, offering deeper insight into traditional Chinese musical aesthetics, instrumental color, and creative possibilities for new compositions. It is a strong opportunity for composers, music students, and creators to build a better understanding of Chinese instruments while connecting with a broader musical tradition that continues to inspire new work today.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Plan your visit
This workshop is free to attend and presented by the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble; however, museum admission is required.
Admission to the Chinese Canadian Museum is still required. Your museum ticket also lets you explore the Dream Factory Cantopop Mandopop exhibition during your visit.
Location: 51 E Pender St, Vancouver, in Chinatown.
Parking: There is no on-site parking. Nearby options include the EasyPark parkade at Chinatown Plaza, 106 Keefer Street, plus limited metered street parking.
Transit: The museum is easy to reach by transit, with nearby bus stops and Stadium-Chinatown Station less than a 10-minute walk away.
​Alan Lau, composer-in-residence and musician for the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, has contributed to various Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble events, including Ten Thousand Springs (2007), Autumn Flight (2014), the Tradition in the Future online symposium (2020), and Future in Past, Part I (2017) and Part II (2022).
As an independent scholar, Alan is a co-author of Qupai in Chinese Music: Melodic Models in Form and Practice (2016) and a contributor to The Oxford Handbook of Music in China and the Chinese Diaspora (2023). He was also an editorial board member of the Asian Musicology Journal.
Alan Lau – Composer in Residence
Workshop Speaker
Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble
Jirong Huang - Erhu
Ji Rong Huang, a graduate from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, is artistic director of the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble and a master of Chinese bowstring instruments.
Since arriving in Vancouver in 1988, Ji Rong has performed for the Canadian Governor General Concert as an erhu soloist and showcased his talent across Canada and the U.S., including appearances on TV and CBC radio programs. He has collaborated with musicians of diverse instrumentation and cultures as well as in interdisciplinary arts.
In 1989, he started the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, the very first professional Chinese music group in Canada.
Ling Yang - Pipa
Sarah Yusha Tan - Guzheng
Zhongxi Wu - Suona, Sheng
Sarah is a master of the Guzheng (Chinese Zither) and is based in Vancouver, B.C.
She began studying the instrument at the age of 10 and graduated from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, where she studied under different zheng masters, most notably Professor Wang Wei.
She has performed as a soloist for the BC Chinese Orchestra and later joined the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble in various successful international collaborations and creative ventures.
Pipa virtuoso Ling Yang received training from Kan Jin-Tian and Fan Jin-Long, and started her musical journey at the age of seven. She entered the Xin Hai Conservatory of Music in 1988, graduating with distinction in 1992.
Since that time she has concentrated her attention on performance and teaching in Vancouver.
Zhongxi Wu, aka Jonesy to his friends, is a 4th generation of suona players in his family and has added to their many accolades.
An honorary director of the Chinese Wind Instrument Society in China, Zhongxi has played suona for acclaimed music groups including the BC Chinese Orchestra, Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra, Vancouver Chinese Ensemble and Golden Pearl Ensemble. He performs with a joy that lights up the stage.
Among the highlights of his career is when he performed with the Delta Police Pipe Band and shared the stage with Paul McCartney in a Vancouver concert.
Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble Workshop FAQs
Rave Reviews for Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble from our Audience
“I heard Jasmine Jazz perform at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden last February and I didn’t know I could feel so seen as a Chinese Canadian. Unique arrangements, homage to tradition, and literally the best musicians of these instruments. Zhongxi Wu is a fourth-generation suona player - what craft have you carried forward from your great-grandparents?! Seriously so cool. Regardless of your background, if you’re a fan of different musical traditions, go go go!"
-Andrea Wong, Jasmine Jazz 2023
