Hong Kong neo-chamber ensemble Sea Island & Ferry embarks on its first UK tour, “Where Words Fail”, on 18-23 August, performing four shows in Manchester, Edinburgh and London.

Sea Island & Ferry highlights the “language-free” aspect of its music and in this tour, takes its title from a quote by Hans Christian Anderson: ‘‘Where music fails, music speaks.’ The four-piece instrumental group had previously performed at major festivals and venues in Hong Kong and Japan, as well as in Taiwan and Macau, receiving widespread acclaim from audiences and critics.

Formed in 2016, Sea Island & Ferry is the only group in Hong Kong to create instrumental music that gathers a niche but fervent following. The ensemble won recognition as the Best Band/Group of the Year in the Hong Kong Music Critics Choice in 2022.

A Closer Listen, an international instrumental music review site, wrote: “a balanced ensemble of strings [cello and violin], piano, and clarinet makes up Sea Island & Ferry. Each instrumental tone complements the next perfectly.”

The site listed the ensemble’s album, As if among the Top 10 Modern Composition releases of 2022. The album includes a 23-minute suite titled The Deep End, a collection of pieces on grief and loss encapsulated in an imaginary procession of a sea burial, which will be performed in this Manchester show of the tour.

The ensemble engages its audience by musically incorporating themes such as migration, historical heritage, and even the climate crisis into their work. Despite a burgeoning Hong Kong diaspora in the UK, Sea Island & Ferry hopes to reach people coming from all walks of life, and diverse cultural backgrounds.

** This is a seated concert, seating is unallocated.

Tour Dates

18 August 2024 (Sun) 3pm | Manchester – International Anthony Burgess Foundation
20 & 21 August 2024 (Tue & Wed) 9pm | Edinburgh – artSpace @ StMarks (Fringe Venue 125)
23 August 2024 (Fri) 7:30pm | London – World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens