China National Traditional Orchestra

The China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) is a state-level performing arts institution funded by the Ministry of Culture. Members of CNTO—comprising an orchestra of traditional instruments and a chorus—are highly-esteemed musicians both at home and abroad.

Founded in 1960 under the guidance of the late Premier Zhou Enlai, CNTO’s inaugural President Li Huanzhi (January 1919 – March 2000) was an esteemed composer and Chairman of the Chinese Musicians’ Association. Current president Xi Qiang is an expert performer on bowed string instruments and ethnomusicologist; he is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

CNTO carries the mission of promoting China’s musical heritage. With an extensive repertoire of traditional and new works, CNTO has long contributed to the country’s cultural landscape. Throughout the decades, all of China’s leaders—Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping—and many foreign dignitaries have enjoyed CNTO’s performances, many of which having won high praises. CNTO has visited numerous countries over the years, among them the United States, Mexico, Peru, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Singapore, Korea and Japan.

In recent years, CNTO has produced such iconic full-length programmes as Impressions: Chinese Music, Rediscover Chinese Music, Looking for Dufu, Golden Echoes, Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, Grand Music from China, Bridge to Chinese Music, Cowherd and Weaver Maid, Chinese Music in Splendor, Beautiful Xinjiang, Tibetan Spring, Love Songs in the Moonlight, The Silk Road, Sun Yat-sen and Xuanzang’s Pilgrimage, the world’s first Chinese concert in drama.

Conductor: Chen Xieyang

Renowned conductor Chen Xieyang graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music and was then appointed resident conductor of the Shanghai Ballet Orchestra. In 1982 Chen was invited to conduct the Asben Festival Orchestra in America and was hailed as a success. In 1984, Chen was appointed President of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and in 1991 he was appointed Music Director, the first music director of any performing groups in Chinese history. Since 1985, Chen has appeared in nations and regions including the former USSR, Japan, Italy, the USA, the Great Britain, Switzerland, Korea, the DPRK, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Austria, France, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, conducting native orchestras. In 1998, 1999, and 2000 he led the Central Chinese National Orchestra on its tours to many cities in Austria, Germany, Denmark. His concerts at the Großer Saal Musikverein of Vienna and the Lincoln Center of New York have won enormous successes. In August, 2000, he led again the Central Chinese National Orchestra to perform in the “Chinese Culture in America” Festival, appearing in musical centers including the Lincoln Center. In September 2003, he conducted Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in aan 11-city tour in America. The next year saw the pair touring in Europe for the Sino-French Culture Year. Both tours were widely acclaimed. On June 20, 2004, celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, he conducted the orchestra in the Berlin Philharmonie.

Chen’s recording of the Violin Concerto The Butterfly Lovers won the Gold Record prize in 1989. Since 1987, he was for many Verdana included in the Who’s Who in the World compiled by International Biographical Center, Cambridge. In 2002 he issued the recordings of Zhu Jian-er’s Complete Symphonies. In 2006, he published recordings of Zhu Jian-er’s Orchestral Works and Lv Qiming’s Orchestral Works.

Chen Xieyang is now Honorary Music Director of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guest Conductor of China National Symphony Orchestra, member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the Shanghai Musicians' Association, member of the Standing Committee of the China Musicians' Association, and chairman of the Shanghai Symphonic Music Lovers' Society.

Conductor: Liu Sha

Resident conductor of the China National Traditional Orchestra, Liu Sha is widely recognized as a leading figure among the new generation of traditional orchestra conductors. To date, he has conducted the China National Traditional Orchestra on its tours to Russia, France, Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany and the United States. As a champion of contemporary music, he has premiered and commissioned hundreds of thousands of new works from composers of the younger generation. In the realm of symphonic music, his Russian and East European repertoire has won critical acclaim.

One of the few conductors favoured by the leading politicians in China, Mr Liu has conducted at several state visit and diplomatic occasions including APEC in 2014. He appeared in the Chinese New Year’s Concert in Hawaii in 2013 and at the Pan-Pacific Asian Arts Festival at Stanford in San Francisco. In 2015, he conducted two sold-out concerts featuring music composed by Jiang Ying at the Kennedy Centre and Carnegie Hall.

A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music, Liu pursued further studies from 2011 to 2014 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, studying opera and symphonic conducting with Alexander Polishchuk as well as researching the Ilya Musin conducting method. Among his teachers at the master classes are Seiji Ozawa, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jorma Panula, Colin Meters and Gustav Meier.

The Chinese Orchestra of China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater

Affiliated to the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater is the largest state-level theatrer with the longest history in China. It presents to the audience a series of diverse theatrical performances. Within the theatre there is an opera troupe, dance drama troupe, folk music troupe, symphony orchestra, creation studio as well as a stage designing department. The theatre was established in 1951, with Yan’an Lu Xun College of Art as its predecessor. The first Dean of the theatre was the famous artist Zhou Weizhi, and Tao Cheng, a Musicology PhD, is the present Dean of the theatre.

In addition to a group of famous artists such as Ma Ke, Qiao Yu, Wang Kun, Guo Lanying, Zhao Qing, Liu Wenjin, Chen Ailian, Wu Yanze, Xu Peidong and Guan Xia in the past, many young and middle-aged artists have emerged into prominence in recent years. In 1964, the theater participated in the grand musical dance epic The East is Red, in which the song Nanniwan sung by Guo Lanying has lived on in the memory of Chinese people for generations. Over half of the century, the theater has performed more than one hundred operas and dance dramas, such as The White Haired Girl, Xiao Eehei's Marriage, The Lotus Lamp, The Dream of Red Chamber, Wildness, and The Shadow of Fence, which have marked the history of Chinese opera and dance drama and established symbolic images for China’s theatrical arts. China’s national leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, as well as heads of many foreign countries have enjoyed the performances.

In recent years, the theater has produced a series of new masterpieces, such as Red River Valley (Opera), Confucius (Dance Drama), Charm of the Seasons, Wishes from Heaven, and Carnival on the Road (all Song and Dance). At the invitation of a several countries, the theatre has frequently presented its performance to audience around the world.

With its classical stage performance, masterful arts and first-class artists, the theatre has won wide recognition and appreciation not only domestically but also worldwide.

With a history of over 50 years, China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater (CNODDT) Chinese Music Orchestra has created a large number of renowned and popular operas and dance dramas, e.g. Xiao Erhei's Marriage, The White-haired Girl, The Liu Hulan, Lotus Lamp and Injustice to Dou E, in cooperation with veteran singer Guo Lanying and veteran dancer Chen Ailian, which have been popular among generations. During its performance practice over the past decades, it has formed a unique artistic style and fostered a large number of performers with high artistic attainments. As a renowned national-level orchestra at home and abroad, (CNODDT) Chinese Music Orchestra has accumulated many transitional and popular instrumental music works in the history of Chinese music, which has become long-playing and highly-appreciated repertoires. Over the years, its members have took part in national and international instrumental music competitions and won many prizes, including Skylark Award, the prize of the 1st Chinese Music Performance Competition of the Ministry of Culture, the prize of “Fulitong” Cup International Chinese Instrumental Music Competition, the silver prize of the 1st Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Moreover, they have published CDs like The Worship and The Seasons and won wide praises from insiders. In June 1998, during the state visit of former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, the Ministry of Culture and CNODDT Chinese Music Orchestra presented a colorful high-quality performance combining Chinese and western styles to former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Mr. and Mrs. Clinton at the Great Hall of People. After the performance, they met former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Mr. and Mrs. Clinton and won praises from them. Currently, they are devoted to exploring light Chinese music.

Shanghai Chinese Orchestra

Founded in 1952, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra is the first big-scale modern Chinese orchestra in China. SHCO is famous for its harmonious cooperation among the members of orchestra and its excellent mastering of all kinds of works. The Orchestra plays an important role in the development of Chinese music.

Located in Shanghai, SHCO has gained a profound progress and development. The Orchestra has a group of famous musicians. Its performance format and repertoire include big-scale Chinese orchestral works as well as the mid-scale and small-scale traditional characteristic ones, such as stringed and wind instrumental pieces, Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music, plucked-strings instrumental ensemble, percussion instrumental ensembles and so on. SHCO is also actively engaged in composition, which contributed to a rich repertoire of the orchestra. Among those compositions, many have been awarded in Shanghai Spring International Music Festival and Shanghai International Art Festival, and are also widely accepted both in China and abroad. In recent years, SHCO has commissioned many works, such as The Oriental River for percussion and the orchestra, The Sun Ritual for erhu and the orchestra, Dream Interpretation for erhu and the orchestra, all of which become the classical National music in the new era. The year 2012 saw the large-scale concert Splendid China won more than ten awards including the gold medal in the 4th National Minority Musical Joint Performance.

SHCO has performed all around China and also toured to dozens of countries and regions in the world. Besides, the Orchestra often performs for the presidents and chairmen of other countries when they visit China. In 2001 and 2003, SHCO has successfully performed two Chinese New Year concerts, i.e. The Year of Snake New Year Concert and The Year of Goat New Year Concert in the Musikverein in Vienna, which was a big hit in Europe. In addition, SHCO is frequently invited to perform in major activities at home and abroad, such as the 2006 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, the ASEAN Summit, the 2007special Olympic Games, the 2008 and 2010 Shanghai National Day Concert, the 2010 Shanghai EXPO Week, etc. SHCO also often gives performance to the heads of foreign state and government held performances and was hailed as "the most beautiful Chinese Orchestra". During the Chinese New Year Festival in 2012, SHCO was invited to give a touring performance as long as 20 days in America, which was warmly welcomed by the local audience.

After the more than half a century development, SCHO now turns into a large-scale integrated national orchestra embracing four voices, that is, the stringed, plucking, wind and percussion voice. Moreover, SHCO also initiates its own professional performance season, and recorded abundant national instrumental music. Meanwhile, by introducing numerous public performances, SHCO constantly makes efforts to popularize national music.

Conductor: Tang Muhai

Tang Muhai is a world-renowned Chinese maestro of conducting. He is now the laureled conductor of China National Symphony Orchestra and art director of Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, and Harbin Symphony Orchestra.

Tang Muhai was born in Shanghai. He studied composing and conducting in Shanghai Conservatory of Music during 1973-1977 and then was hired by the school for teaching. In 1979, he won the scholarship and went to the master class of Munich Musik Hochschulle in Germany for further study. In 1983, at the invitation of Karajan, he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, starting his career as an international conductor from the peak of the international symphony orchestra. Besides Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Tang also conducted a number of other famous orchestras worldwide, such as London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Thanks to the cultivation by his father Xiaodan Tang, a great film director, Tang developed a special love to the opera stage art. He has had successful collaborations with the world's greatest opera houses, such as Teatro alla Scala di Milano in Italy, Zurich Opera House in Switzerland, Hungarian State Opera House, Frankfurt Opera House and Munich State Opera House in Germany, etc. During 2003 and 2008, he served as the chief conductor of Finish National Opera. During the Milan Expo in 2015, he conducted the new version of Rossini's opera Othello at the Scala Theater in Milan, Italy. With those seven performances, he became the first Chinese conductor performing at the theater in its 237 years' history.

He has successively served as the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Belgian Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Lisbon Orchestra Gulbenkian, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, and Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also successively cooperated with more than one hundred world-renowned symphony orchestras and chamber orchestras as a visiting conductor, giving performances across the world. In recent years, he led a number of major European symphony orchestras to give tour performances around the world, such as Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, etc.

Many famous musicians had successful cooperation experiences with him, including Menuhin, Stern, Rostropovich, Rampal, Fournier, Argerich, Mutter, Perlman, Knight Giacomini, etc.

The records of Tang Muhai conducting so many European orchestras have been published around the world by a number of record companies including DG and Teldec. Two operas sung by Cecilia Bartoli, directed by Tang Muhai, and produced by Zurich Opera House in 2014, Le Comte Ory and Othello, which won the Grammy Award in 2004, have been published by Deeca around the world.

As a world-renowned maestro of conducting, Tang has always been concerned about the development of China's music cause. He has successively served as permanent conductor of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra, chief conductor and art director of China National Symphony Orchestra, dean and professor of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, honorary professor of Central Conservatory of Music, and Artistic Director of Shanghai Concert Hall.

Tang has repeatedly led the domestic orchestras to give tour performances around the world, and introduced first-class symphony orchestras overseas to China's stage. Within two years from 2015 to 2016, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra led by him successfully completed the "Concert of complete series of Beethoven-Mahler Symphonies", which took the music circle by storm. In 2016 and 2017, he led Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra respectively to pay visits to North America, receiving unanimous appraises from the cultural and political circles.

In addition, he has directed the premieres of Debussy's Pelleas and Melisande, Britten's The Turn of The Screw and the Rape of Lucretia in China. In recent years, he also premiered some Chinese national original operas created by Guan Xia and some other Chinese composers, such as Cai Wenji, A River of Spring Water, A Dream of Red Chamber, etc.