The 2^nd NCPA “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” is on its way back in spring and will last from March 31^st to April 27^th. In the pleasantly warm spring with apricot flowers and willows dancing over scattered shadows, 19 high-level national concerts will be presented at the NCPA and the Beijing Performing Arts Centre. 15 outstanding orchestras from all over the world, 13 famous conductors and more than 60 Chinese music performers and interdisciplinary instrumentalists will appear one after another to give Chinese and foreign interpretations of Chinese music. Classic Chinese music and new masterpieces will be staged to show the eternal vitality, far-reaching cohesiveness and contemporary creativity of Chinese music.

On the afternoon of March 27^th, WANG Luli, Deputy Director of the NCPA Department of Programme Management, ZHAO Cong, Managing Director of the China National Traditional Orchestra and a famous pipa artist, Liu Chiang-Pin, Pang Kapang, YAN Huichang and Tsung Yeh, four conductors to conduct the Opening Concert of this Year’s “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music”, and LI Changjun, Managing Director of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, attended the Press Conference on the 2^nd NCPA “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music”, and shared with the media the theme and highlights of this year’s “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music”.


Having been inherited for thousands of years and spread for hundreds of years, Chinese music now has different names at home and abroad, such as “folk music”, “national music”, “traditional Chinese music” and so on. Behind all these names are the uninterrupted thousand-year-long inheritance and never-changed internal connectivity of Chinese music. For the conductors to jointly conduct the opening concert, they have a wealth of experience in conducting Chinese orchestras in foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. At the press conference, they shared the highlights of the works to be presented, as well as their thoughts on the inheritance and development of Chinese music.

Tsung Yeh, Honourary Conductor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, said, “I’m very pleased to attend this Chinese music event and exchange ideas with the other three conductors on the stage. Chinese music develops well nowadays. We have many new distinctive musical compositions. All the orchestras act under high technical standards. So we believe that Chinese music will surely grow into an important force on the international stage in the future.”

Liu Chiang-Pin, Artistic Director of the Hsinchu City Youth Chinese Orchestra, said, “I founded the Zhuqian Chinese Music Festival in Taiwan in 2011. Since then, we have held the festival for 14 consecutive years. It is recognised as a very important platform for an exchange of views on Chinese music. But when I saw the programme for the ‘Spring of Traditional Chinese Music’, I realised that we would still have to do more for improvements. I believe this lineup is admirable not only for me, but also for all other Chinese music performers in the world. It’s of high value. Furthermore, the content is unprecedentedly substantial.”

The 15 outstanding orchestras from all over the world will perform unusually brilliant music at their distinctive concerts to scoop out profound historical heritage from Chinese music, so as to demonstrate the creativity of Chinese music in the new era. The Singapore Chinese Orchestra will make its debut at the NCPA and offer a gluttonous feast of Chinese music with Singaporean cultural characteristics to show the basic connotation and charm of Chinese music, which has spread all over the world but is of the same origin.

As the first orchestra to perform for the establishment of the NCPA’s brand, “Charm of China—Maestros of Chinese Traditional Music”, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will also be deeply involved in this year’s “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” by presenting two special concerts that echo each other. Under the leadership of the renowned conductor TAN Lihua and young conductor JIN Ye, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will work with four Chinese music virtuosos, including SONG Fei, ZHANG Weiliang, WU Yuxia and WANG Zhongshan, and young well-known Chinese music performers including ZHANG Qianyuan, SONG Yibo, YIN Fei, ZHENG Yang and XUE Miao, to hold two concerto-themed concerts respectively at the NCPA Concert Hall and the Beijing Performing Arts Centre Concert Hall. With Chinese music virtuosos VS. promising young musicians and classic Chinese music VS. new contemporary masterpieces in the two cultural landmarks, the two concerts, echoing each other, will fully reveal the inheritance and development of Chinese music.

Besides, more Chinese musical works with distinct regional features will be presented on the stage at the “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” by eight performing arts organisations based in Beijing, including the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, Beijing Chinese Orchestra, China Coal Mine Art Troupe, Central Conservatory of Music Youth Chinese Music Orchestra and Chinese Orchestra, and China Conservatory of Music Chinese Orchestra, as well as six excellent Chinese music ensembles from all over China including the Wuxi Chinese Orchestra, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music Chinese Orchestra, Suzhou Chinese Orchestra, Hebei Chinese Orchestra, Tianjin Chinese Orchestra and Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. With different dialects to form new melodies, a feast of Chinese music will be served to promote people to respect their respective culture and appreciate the culture of others for the prosperity of human civilization. The Beijing Performing Arts Centre, a new highland of arts, is ready to refresh the look of Chinese music through new youth, a new voice, a new stage and a new style. A large number of new Chinese musical compositions will also appear on the stage of the “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” to show the audience the charm of the “Eight Tones” displayed in the new era.

At the press conference, the China National Traditional Orchestra donated a famous guqin carrying ancient melodies and profound culture, made by the prestigious guqin artist YANG Zhijian on the model of the “Qinglai” guqin of the Southern Song Dynasty kept at the Palace Museum, to the NCPA, adding heft to the artistic collections of the NCPA.


We’re looking forward to be with you at the 2^nd NCPA “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music”. Let’s enjoy the beauty of the traditional Chinese culture together.