The Arts

Taiwan 2002

The Arts

Music
Taiwan has a very active music scene, in both the traditional Chinese and classical Western styles--and sometimes a combination of the two. The great variety and rich tradition of music in Taiwan has been featured in such events as the "100 Years of Taiwanese Music" 臺灣音樂一百年, a major festival and conference held in 1995 that had performances of Taiwanese folk songs, Fujian and Hakka music, and contemporary compositions by some of Taiwan's leading composers (see section below on Composers).
Recent years also saw more international music events taking place in Taiwan. The 1996 Taipei International Music Festival 臺北國際樂展 and the 1998 Asian Composers' League Conference and Festival 亞洲作曲家聯盟大會暨音樂節 covered a wide range of music, both traditional and contemporary, Chinese and Western. With violin soloist Lin Cho-liang 林昭亮 as music director, the second Taipei International Music Festival 國際巨星音樂節 held in May 2000 invited world-renown musicians and received great support from music fans.
Taiwan's first World Music Festival 世界音樂節 was staged from May 28 to June 2, 2000. Embracing the spirit of WOMAD (world of music, arts, and dance, an organization founded by Peter Gabriel), the event gathered music groups from Spain, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Australia, and Serbia and gave local residents a chance to enjoy the global rhythms of non-mainstream music. The 2001 Taiwan World Music Festival took place in Ta An Forest Park between May 19 and 24. Taipei citizens again relished diverse world folk music brought by 10 music groups from 9 countries, which included performers from Argentina, Mongolia, and several African countries.
Two of the world famous "Three Tenors" visited Taiwan in 2001. The first, Placido Domingo, charmed a Taipei audience at a packed National Concert Hall 國家音樂廳 on June 10, 2001, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra 國家交響樂團. On his fifth visit to the island, Jose Carreras, the second tenor, gave recitals in Kaohsiung and Taipei in October and Taichung in November.

Traditional Chinese Music
The four professional groups primarily performing Chinese music in Taiwan are the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra (TMCCO) 臺北市立國樂團, the National Chinese Orchestra 國立實驗國樂團, the Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra 高雄市國樂團, and the Chinese Orchestra of the Broadcasting Corporation of China 中國廣播公司國樂團. In addition, 10 smaller ensembles perform regularly around the island. The Ensemble Orientalia of Taipei 臺北民族樂團, which has performed in the United States and Australia, conducts fieldwork, including researching and transcribing traditional music from throughout Taiwan.
While the musicians in these groups play mostly traditional Chinese instruments, they sometimes perform Western compositions or Chinese works that incorporate Western-style rhythms or harmonies.
Increased cultural contacts with mainland China have brought new ideas to Chinese music in Taiwan. Since the late 1980s, a number of groups from the mainland (representing both Western-style and traditional music) including major orchestrassuch as the Shanghai National Music Orchestra and the China Central Ensemble of National Musicas well as smaller ensembles, such as the Shanghai Quartet and the Shanghai Chinese Traditional Folk Music Ensemble, have performed in Taiwan.

Pei-kuan and Nan-kuan
While many traditional Chinese musicians are drawing on Western influences, others have shown a renewed interest in preserving the traditional quality of several types of ancient music--including pei-kuan 北管, a fast-tempo music that commonly accompanied operas and traditional puppet shows, and nan-kuan 南管, which has a more delicate and soothing sound. The interest in nan-kuan music has been especially prominent, as this musical form is thought to have flourished in southern China during the Tang dynasty and first appeared in Taiwan during the 16th century. The Han Tang Classical Music Institute 漢唐樂府, which was founded in 1983 by Chen Mei-o 陳美娥, has performed nan-kuan in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and released a number of CDs. The group later established the Liyuan Dance Studio 梨園舞坊, which was inspired by "The Musical Theater of the Pear Orchard" 梨園戲, a form that flourished during the eighth century and was brought to Taiwan in the 18th century. The two groups often perform together at Han Tang's own theater in Taipei, which offers a small, traditional teahouse-like setting.
Other main figures in nan-kuan music are singer Wu Su-ching 吳素慶 and musician Lee Hsiang-shih 李祥石. Lee was honored with the Folk Arts Master Award (see section on Folk Arts) for his work. Both Wu and Lee were invited to teach in a special Nan-kuan Performance Program set up in 1988 at the Taipei National University of the Arts. The Changhua County Cultural Center 彰化縣立文化中心 has also maintained a Nan-kuan and Pei-kuan Center 南北管音樂劇曲館 since 1990.

Western Classical Music
While traditional Chinese music has an important position in Taiwan, Western classical music still predominates. In fact, many more musicians are trained in Western music than in Chinese music. Young classical musicians from Taiwan, along with their counterparts elsewhere in Asia, have succeeded in international music circles. Violinists Lin Cho-liang, Hu Nai-yuan 胡乃元, and Edith Chen 陳毓襄 are among the many Taiwan-born musicians who have attended elite music schools abroad, won prestigious competitions, and become prominent internationally. Conductor Lu Shao-chia 呂紹嘉, a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory, is now the music director of Germany's leading opera house, Niedersachsische Staatstheater Hannover (NSH), the highest post ever held by an ethnic Chinese conductor. While many young musicians often have successful careers abroad, many more are now returning to Taiwan, both as visiting musicians and as regular members of orchestras and chamber groups.
Taiwan's main Western-style orchestras are the National Symphony Orchestra, now under the direction of Chien Wen-pin 簡文彬, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra 臺北市立交響樂團, under Chen Chiu-sen 陳秋盛. The National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra 國立臺灣交響樂團, based in Taichung, is conducted by Chen Cheng-hsiung 陳澄雄. The Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra 高雄市交響樂團 is a semi-professional group.
The largest private orchestra is the Taipei Sinfonietta and Philharmonic Orchestra 臺北愛樂室內及管弦樂團, founded in 1985 by conductor Henry Mazer. With some of the island's most talented musicians among its members, the group has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Perhaps the busiest ensemble on the island is the Ju Percussion Group, directed by Ju Tzong-ching 朱宗慶. This group performs more than 100 times every year--at concert halls, schools, and outdoor venues, and holds many educational demonstrations for teachers and the general public. The group's music is often a hybrid of Western and Chinese, and its instruments are both traditional and experimental, ranging from drums, gongs, and xylophones to empty beer bottles, sawed-off steel pipes, and even bursting balloons. The affiliated Ju Percussion Foundation 財團法人擊樂文教基金會 oversees a research center for traditional Chinese percussion music and operates educational centers for children around the island. In 1996, the foundation organized the second International Percussion Convention. The group has performed in major cities of the United States, France, South Korea, and the Chinese mainland.

Western Opera
The Taipei Opera Theater 臺北歌劇劇場, under Tseng Tao-hsiung 曾道雄, and the Taiwan Metropolitan Opera 首都歌劇團, directed by internationally known tenor William Wu 吳文修, has performed Western opera in Taiwan, performing such works as Gounod's Faust, Mozart's Magic Flute, and Verdi's Rigoletto. The Taiwan Metropolitan Opera has presented Puccini's Madame Butterfly; Leoncavallo's Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci; and The Great Wall 萬里長城, a Western-style opera sung in Chinese that narrates a Chinese story. Another active opera promoter is the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, which presented Verdi's Aida in 1995, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman in January 1997, both featuring international casts, and Puccini's Turandot in 2000.

Composers
Taiwan hosted the annual conference and festival of the Asian Composers' League (ACL) most recently in 1998. Hsu Chang-hui 許常惠, considered by many to be the pioneer local composer, was one of the founders of the ACL in 1973. Hsu, who studied in France, founded the Music Creative Group 製樂小集, which promoted the development of local music composition in the 1960s. He also introduced new, experimental developments from the West, such as Arnold Schoenberg's serialism. For many years, Hsu conducted extensive research of Taiwan folk music. His passing away in January 2001 is a great loss to the local music scene.
Other composers known regionally and internationally include Ma Shui-long 馬水龍, whose works have been performed in Europe, the United States, South Africa, and Southeast Asia; and Pan Huang-lung 潘皇龍, who has introduced avant-garde composition to local audiences.

Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		The Arts
		Music Taiwan has a very active music scene, in both the traditional Chinese and classical Western styles--and sometimes a combination of the two. The great variety and rich tradition of music in Taiwan has been featured in such events as the "100 Years of Taiwanese Music" 臺灣音樂一百年, a major festival and conference held in 1995 that had performances of Taiwanese folk songs, Fujian and Hakka music, and contemporary compositions by some of Taiwan's leading composers (see section below on Composers). Recent years also saw more international music events taking place in Taiwan. The 1996 Taipei International Music Festival 臺北國際樂展 and the 1998 Asian Composers' League Conference and Festival 亞洲作曲家聯盟大會暨音樂節 covered a wide range of music, both traditional and contemporary, Chinese and Western. With violin soloist Lin Cho-liang 林昭亮 as music director, the second Taipei International Music Festival 國際巨星音樂節 held in May 2000 invited world-renown musicians and received great support from music fans. Taiwan's first World Music Festival 世界音樂節 was staged from May 28 to June 2, 2000. Embracing the spirit of WOMAD (world of music, arts, and dance, an organization founded by Peter Gabriel), the event gathered music groups from Spain, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Australia, and Serbia and gave local residents a chance to enjoy the global rhythms of non-mainstream music. The 2001 Taiwan World Music Festival took place in Ta An Forest Park between May 19 and 24. Taipei citizens again relished diverse world folk music brought by 10 music groups from 9 countries, which included performers from Argentina, Mongolia, and several African countries. Two of the world famous "Three Tenors" visited Taiwan in 2001. The first, Placido Domingo, charmed a Taipei audience at a packed National Concert Hall 國家音樂廳 on June 10, 2001, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra 國家交響樂團. On his fifth visit to the island, Jose Carreras, the second tenor, gave recitals in Kaohsiung and Taipei in October and Taichung in November. Traditional Chinese Music The four professional groups primarily performing Chinese music in Taiwan are the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra (TMCCO) 臺北市立國樂團, the National Chinese Orchestra 國立實驗國樂團, the Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra 高雄市國樂團, and the Chinese Orchestra of the Broadcasting Corporation of China 中國廣播公司國樂團. In addition, 10 smaller ensembles perform regularly around the island. The Ensemble Orientalia of Taipei 臺北民族樂團, which has performed in the United States and Australia, conducts fieldwork, including researching and transcribing traditional music from throughout Taiwan. While the musicians in these groups play mostly traditional Chinese instruments, they sometimes perform Western compositions or Chinese works that incorporate Western-style rhythms or harmonies. Increased cultural contacts with mainland China have brought new ideas to Chinese music in Taiwan. Since the late 1980s, a number of groups from the mainland (representing both Western-style and traditional music) including major orchestrassuch as the Shanghai National Music Orchestra and the China Central Ensemble of National Musicas well as smaller ensembles, such as the Shanghai Quartet and the Shanghai Chinese Traditional Folk Music Ensemble, have performed in Taiwan. Pei-kuan and Nan-kuan While many traditional Chinese musicians are drawing on Western influences, others have shown a renewed interest in preserving the traditional quality of several types of ancient music--including pei-kuan 北管, a fast-tempo music that commonly accompanied operas and traditional puppet shows, and nan-kuan 南管, which has a more delicate and soothing sound. The interest in nan-kuan music has been especially prominent, as this musical form is thought to have flourished in southern China during the Tang dynasty and first appeared in Taiwan during the 16th century. The Han Tang Classical Music Institute 漢唐樂府, which was founded in 1983 by Chen Mei-o 陳美娥, has performed nan-kuan in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and released a number of CDs. The group later established the Liyuan Dance Studio 梨園舞坊, which was inspired by "The Musical Theater of the Pear Orchard" 梨園戲, a form that flourished during the eighth century and was brought to Taiwan in the 18th century. The two groups often perform together at Han Tang's own theater in Taipei, which offers a small, traditional teahouse-like setting. Other main figures in nan-kuan music are singer Wu Su-ching 吳素慶 and musician Lee Hsiang-shih 李祥石. Lee was honored with the Folk Arts Master Award (see section on Folk Arts) for his work. Both Wu and Lee were invited to teach in a special Nan-kuan Performance Program set up in 1988 at the Taipei National University of the Arts. The Changhua County Cultural Center 彰化縣立文化中心 has also maintained a Nan-kuan and Pei-kuan Center 南北管音樂劇曲館 since 1990. Western Classical Music While traditional Chinese music has an important position in Taiwan, Western classical music still predominates. In fact, many more musicians are trained in Western music than in Chinese music. Young classical musicians from Taiwan, along with their counterparts elsewhere in Asia, have succeeded in international music circles. Violinists Lin Cho-liang, Hu Nai-yuan 胡乃元, and Edith Chen 陳毓襄 are among the many Taiwan-born musicians who have attended elite music schools abroad, won prestigious competitions, and become prominent internationally. Conductor Lu Shao-chia 呂紹嘉, a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory, is now the music director of Germany's leading opera house, Niedersachsische Staatstheater Hannover (NSH), the highest post ever held by an ethnic Chinese conductor. While many young musicians often have successful careers abroad, many more are now returning to Taiwan, both as visiting musicians and as regular members of orchestras and chamber groups. Taiwan's main Western-style orchestras are the National Symphony Orchestra, now under the direction of Chien Wen-pin 簡文彬, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra 臺北市立交響樂團, under Chen Chiu-sen 陳秋盛. The National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra 國立臺灣交響樂團, based in Taichung, is conducted by Chen Cheng-hsiung 陳澄雄. The Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra 高雄市交響樂團 is a semi-professional group. The largest private orchestra is the Taipei Sinfonietta and Philharmonic Orchestra 臺北愛樂室內及管弦樂團, founded in 1985 by conductor Henry Mazer. With some of the island's most talented musicians among its members, the group has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe. Perhaps the busiest ensemble on the island is the Ju Percussion Group, directed by Ju Tzong-ching 朱宗慶. This group performs more than 100 times every year--at concert halls, schools, and outdoor venues, and holds many educational demonstrations for teachers and the general public. The group's music is often a hybrid of Western and Chinese, and its instruments are both traditional and experimental, ranging from drums, gongs, and xylophones to empty beer bottles, sawed-off steel pipes, and even bursting balloons. The affiliated Ju Percussion Foundation 財團法人擊樂文教基金會 oversees a research center for traditional Chinese percussion music and operates educational centers for children around the island. In 1996, the foundation organized the second International Percussion Convention. The group has performed in major cities of the United States, France, South Korea, and the Chinese mainland. Western Opera The Taipei Opera Theater 臺北歌劇劇場, under Tseng Tao-hsiung 曾道雄, and the Taiwan Metropolitan Opera 首都歌劇團, directed by internationally known tenor William Wu 吳文修, has performed Western opera in Taiwan, performing such works as Gounod's Faust, Mozart's Magic Flute, and Verdi's Rigoletto. The Taiwan Metropolitan Opera has presented Puccini's Madame Butterfly; Leoncavallo's Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci; and The Great Wall 萬里長城, a Western-style opera sung in Chinese that narrates a Chinese story. Another active opera promoter is the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, which presented Verdi's Aida in 1995, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman in January 1997, both featuring international casts, and Puccini's Turandot in 2000. Composers Taiwan hosted the annual conference and festival of the Asian Composers' League (ACL) most recently in 1998. Hsu Chang-hui 許常惠, considered by many to be the pioneer local composer, was one of the founders of the ACL in 1973. Hsu, who studied in France, founded the Music Creative Group 製樂小集, which promoted the development of local music composition in the 1960s. He also introduced new, experimental developments from the West, such as Arnold Schoenberg's serialism. For many years, Hsu conducted extensive research of Taiwan folk music. His passing away in January 2001 is a great loss to the local music scene. Other composers known regionally and internationally include Ma Shui-long 馬水龍, whose works have been performed in Europe, the United States, South Africa, and Southeast Asia; and Pan Huang-lung 潘皇龍, who has introduced avant-garde composition to local audiences. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution