Chinese
Pipa Poetics: Li Hui and the Pipa Dance Chamber Ensemble
About the performance
Li Hui brings the Pipa Dance Chamber Ensemble to SHOAC's recital hall for one night: ten pieces, three of them world premieres. Li Hui founded the ensemble at the Central Conservatory in 2007 and its players are her former students, now spread across the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, the China National Traditional Orchestra, the China National Song and Dance Ensemble and several conservatories, reconvening when there is a programme to play. The group does one thing above all: it commissions new pipa ensemble music and gives the first performances. Its 2018 record was the first album by a pipa chamber ensemble; a second is due this year, carrying Liu Tianqi's Lord of the Clouds from this programme. The evening is built around poetry. Yu Yitong's Plain Strings, for pipa and guqin, takes its title from a line of the Song poet Wu Wenying. Li Bochan's Late Autumn points at Xin Qiji's famous closing line about saying nothing and remarking on the weather instead. Liu Tianqi's Lord of the Clouds comes from the Nine Songs of the Chu Ci. At the centre sits the ancient Moonlit Night on the Spring River in Gu Guanren's arrangement for five pipas, which divides across the group what one instrument normally carries alone. Wang Yunfei's Wusheng goes the other way: it stages a Peking opera fight scene, using the right hand to imitate the opera's percussion, and is the least poetic thing on the list. The three premieres are Yu Yitong's Plain Strings, Wang Rui's Rainbow Skirt, Feathered Robe and Liu Tianqi's Startled Swan. One caveat: the presenter published the programme marked "subject to change on the night", so the final order and contents may differ. Neither the running time nor whether there is an interval has been announced.
Program
Traditional Chinese 中国传统
Moonlit Night on the Spring River (pipa quintet)
《春江花月夜》（琵琶五重奏版）
For pipa quintet, arranged by Gu Guanren.
Performers
- Soloist, Pipa
- Li Hui
- Ensemble
- Pipa Dance Chamber Ensemble
Tickets
Shanghai Oriental Art Center
Official site
¥180 · ¥280 · ¥320
- Limit 6 tickets per order
- Name-registered ticket and entry
- Children under 1 m are not admitted; children over 1 m need their own ticket.
Location
425 Dingxiang Road
Metro Line 2 — Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, 5 min walk
Common questions
When is Pipa Poetics: Li Hui & the Pipa Dance Ensemble?
- Saturday 28 November 2026, 19:45, at Oriental Recital Hall.
Where is it?
- Oriental Recital Hall, 425 Dingxiang Road.
What is on the programme?
- Yu Yitong：Plain Strings; Chen Si'ang：Cantonese Tone Pictures; Liu Tianqi：Lord of the Clouds; Li Bochan：Quietly; Wang Yunfei：Wusheng; Traditional Chinese：Moonlit Night on the Spring River (pipa quintet); Wang Rui：Hibiscus in Poem and Painting; Li Bochan：Late Autumn; Wang Rui：Rainbow Skirt, Feathered Robe; Liu Tianqi：Startled Swan. The programme as played may differ.
Who is performing?
- Li Hui（soloist）, Pipa Dance Chamber Ensemble（ensemble）.
How much are tickets?
- ¥180 / ¥280 / ¥320. 6 tickets per order, ID-name ticketing and entry.
When did tickets go on sale, and where?
- 18 August 2026 at 15:39 (Shanghai time) — already on sale, via Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Can I bring a child?
- Children under 1 m are not admitted; children over 1 m need their own ticket.
Answers are generated from the record on this page and change when it does. Where we do not know, no question is asked.
Provenance
Data Source: Official channels of each presenter (websites, ticketing systems, public announcements)
Last Checked: Aug 23