The fourth Asia+ Festival will present the concert "Taksu – The Spirit of Gamelan" on November 6 and 7. Malaysia's leading percussion ensemble, HANDS Percussion, will join forces with Gamelan Yuganada from Indonesia, for a performance which fuses the thunderous pulse of Chinese lion dance drums (shigu) and Malaysian 24 Festive Drums, with the ethereal, spiritual sonorities of Balinese gamelan. The performance weaves a boundary-breaking and soul-stirring dialogue between the crystalline coolness of metal and the resonant warmth of drumskins.
Gamelan means "to hammer" in Javanese. Originating in the royal courts and temples of Java and Bali more than 1 000 years ago, it is celebrated as one of the world's musical treasures. The performance will bring together more than 30 sets of signature gamelan instruments, including metallophones, gongs and drums, which resonate alongside lion dance drums and festive drums, together with quaint and graceful Mak Yong dance and song performances. The Hong Kong Children's Choir (Chamber Youth) will also perform a series of repertoires, including a reimagined classic folk song "Jasmine Flower", offering audiences a refreshing artistic experience as familiar melodies bridge cultures across Southeast Asia.
The concert "Taksu – The Spirit of Gamelan" is also one of the programmes of the sixth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. It will be held at 8pm on November 6 and 7 at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium. Tickets priced at $200, $260, $320 and $400 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk), some seats priced at $200 have restricted sightlines. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288 or use the mobile ticketing app URBTIX.
A meet-the-artist session will be held after the performance on November 6. Fringe activities including lecture demonstrations and an outreach performance are also available. For details, please refer to www.asiaplus.gov.hk/2026/en/taksu.
Presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Asia+ Festival is held annually from September to November. Themed "Traditions Recast", this year's festival brings together over 30 countries and regions, and presents more than 100 performances and related activities, showcasing the artistic essence of Asia and countries and regions along the Belt and Road. For programme enquiries and ticketing concessions, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.asiaplus.gov.hk.
