Yandong Grand Singers & Bulgarian Eva Quartet

Ancient polyphony from Guizhou and the Balkans

Kam Grand Song, the polyphonic choral tradition of Guizhou’s Kam people, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. Passed down through community life across the generations, this a cappella practice weaves multiple vocal lines into richly layered harmonies—guided neither by a conductor nor by written scores.

The concert showcases an array of distinct genres of Kam singing. Voice Grand Song, the most musically sophisticated form, features sustained bass tones beneath intricate melodies that imitate cicadas, birdsong and rushing water with breathtaking fidelity. Most pieces are sung unaccompanied; for others, the bic bac (Kam pipa, a plucked lute) and the kgoh kgis (ox-leg fiddle) add their own evocative colour. Mixed-voice Grand Song, Bic Bac Song, Kgoh Kgis Song and the communal Treading Song round out the programme.

The Yandong Grand Singers, among the foremost performers of Kam polyphony, hail from Yandong township in Guizhou’s Liping county—a place of foundational significance in its history and journey to the global stage. They meet in concert with Bulgaria’s Eva Quartet, whose members are also core vocalists of the Grammy Award-winning choir Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. Their programme encompasses authentic folk songs from different regions of Bulgaria, old Bulgarian music and church hymns, as well as contemporary works. Rooted in the Bulgarian women’s polyphonic tradition, their close-harmony singing shares an uncanny affinity with the Kam sound.

Two ancient vocal traditions, separated by thousands of miles, converge on the Festival stage—each group performing in turn before uniting their voices for a joint finale.

There will be a Meet-the-Artist session after each performance.

Advance Bookings will start at 10am on 7 October 2026