China National Traditional Orchestra

Famed as one of the largest Chinese orchestras in China, the China National Traditional Orchestra founded in 1960 has toured more than 30 countries across the globe. In pursuing its mission of promoting traditional folk music, the Orchestra presents to audience a great variety of performances with a strong national flavour. Under the baton of Chen Xieyang and the notable young conductor Liu Sha, the Orchestra returns to Hong Kong for a series of large-scale works by Chinese composers which captures the grandeur of Chinese folk music.

'Splendour of Folk Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra  (6 May Concert)

National Class One Conductor Chen Xieyang will lead a team of virtuous performers to showcase the masterpieces of traditional Chinese music for the great ethnic diversity of China.

'Impressions: Rediscovering Chinese Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra (7 May Concert)

Eminent young conductor Liu Sha and young composer Jiang Ying join hands with the best traditional Chinese orchestra in China for a new rendition of old tunes. 

'Splendour of Folk Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra  (6 May Concert)

National Class One Conductor Chen Xieyang will lead a team of virtuous performers to showcase the masterpieces of traditional Chinese music for the great ethnic diversity of China.

'Impressions: Rediscovering Chinese Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra (7 May Concert)

Eminent young conductor Liu Sha and young composer Jiang Ying join hands with the best traditional Chinese orchestra in China for a new rendition of old tunes. 

Running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours including an intermission of 15 minutes.  

China National Traditional Orchestra

Founded in 1960, the China National Traditional Orchestra is a state-level performance group comprising an orchestra and a chorus.  Its first president Li Huanzhi was an ex-chairman of the Chinese Musicians’ Association and a well-known composer.  The current president Xi Qiang is an expert in both bowed-string instrument and music theory.

In pursuing its mission of promoting traditional chinese music, the Orchestra composes and performs a great number of outstanding works and contributes enormously to the transmission and promotion of Chinese culture.

Over the years, the Orchestra made numerous overseas tours for the promotion of Chinese culture and folk music.  It toured the United States in 1997 and performed with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the Carnegie Hall in New York and gave the ‘Chinese New Year Concert’ at Musikverein in Vienna for three consecutive years from 1998 to 2010.  It joined the ‘American Trip of Chinese Culture’ in 2000 and performed at the Great Hall of the People during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics in 2008.  Upon invitation the Orchestra performed at a concert to mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the ‘”Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation” in 2011 and also attended the prestigious Salzburg Music Festival in the same year.  In 2013, it participated in the closing ceremony concert of the ‘Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia’ and performed in ‘Across the Pacific-Chinese Culture in America’ in various cities in the United States.  The Orchestra played in front of world leaders at the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Informal Senior Officials Meeting in 2014 and performed in Taiwan for cultural exchange in 2015.  During the same year, its Discover Chinese Music and Splendour of Folk Music were warmly received at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington as well as the Lincoln Center and the Carnegie Hall in New York. 

In recent years, a series of concerts including Golden Echoes, Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, Splendour of Folk Music, Enchanting Chinese Music , Cowherd and Weaver Maid, Chinese Music in Splendour, Beautiful Xinjiang, Tibetan Spring, Song and Moon, Impression:Chinese Music and Discover Chinese Music have helped the Orchestra to build its brand.

6 May Concert

Chen Xieyang (Guest Conductor)

Chen Xieyang is a National Class One conductor, currently is the honourary music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, music director of Suzhou Symphonic Orchestra, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Musician Association, council member of the Chinese Musicians' Association and chairman of Shanghai Symphonic Music Lovers’ Association, member of the 10^th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee and Shanghai Political Consultative Committee.

After graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Chen was appointed as the resident conductor of the Shanghai Ballet Orchestra. At the invitation of the Aspen Music Festival, he conducted the festival’s orchestra in 1982 and met great success. Chen became the concertmaster of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 1984 and was appointed as the music director of the orchestra in 1986. During the years 1998 to 2007, Chen led China National Traditional Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra toured around Asia, the United States and Europe with great success.

Chen achieved various honours, including The violin concerto Butterfly Lovers directed by Chen received a Gold Album from China Records in 1989, Jurors’ Award for Conducting at the 6^th China Gold Record Awards in 2008 and has been listed several times in the Dictionary of International Biography published by the International Biographical Centre, of Cambridge, England 1987. The Shanghai Music Publishing House published series of albums conducted by Chen including Zhu Jian’er Symphonies, Zhu Jian’er Works for Orchestra and Lü Qiming Works for Orchestra series in 2002 and 2006.

7 May Concert

Liu Sha (Conductor)

Liu studied Conducting under Xu Xin at the Central Conservatory of Music in China and continued his study at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory with Professor Alexzander Polishuchuk.  He completed the programme with top honours and was awarded a diploma in Opera-Symphony Conducting.  He had also attended masterclasses given by maestros Seiji Ozawa, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jorma Panula, Colin Meters and Gustav Meier.

Over the years Liu has led the China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) on tours to Russia, France, Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, the United States and other overseas countries.  In 2010 he conducted the CNTO at the celebration concert for its 50^th Anniversary and met national leaders to receive their warm commendation.  On their tour to Europe in 2011, Liu and the CNTO participated in the prestigious Salzburg Music Festival.  In 2013, they performed at a New Year concert for Chinese in Hawaii and took part in the ‘Pan-pacific Asian Arts Festival’ held by Stanford University in San Francisco.

Famed as a ‘versatile conductor’ well-versed in both Chinese and Western music, Liu strives to explore the development and creativity of Chinese music ensembles. He dedicated his efforts in grooming professional conductors, performed by sight-reading and premiered about 1,000 pieces of traditional music.  Liu actively commissioned and performed new works by young Chinese composers from his unique perspective and successfully captured the attention of the music circles in China and Asia.  Liu is highly acclaimed by the media as an illustrious young conductor and a leading figure in his profession.  In 2016 Liu was named one of the top ten conductors in Chinese orchestral music in China and also the youngest recipient of that honour.

Jiang Ying (Composer-in-residence)

Young composer Jiang Ying is an explorer and innovator of Chinese national music.  After obtaining a master’s degree in composition from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2010, Jiang was appointed composer-in-residence initially at the Shanghai Traditional Music Orchestra and later posted to the China National Traditional Orchestra in 2013.  Her most representative works are Silk Road, Dragon Totem, Taiji, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Impressions: Chinese Music and Rediscover Chinese Music.

Jiang is a regular winner of competitions held in China and overseas.  Some of her major accolades include Class One Award at the 18th All China Competition for Music Composition, Outstanding Composition Award at the Instrumental Music Composition Competition of the 9th Chinese Golden Bell Awards for Music, Class One Award at the Minyin Cup Chamber Music Competition, Gold Award at the 3rd Young Composers’ Competition for Original Works for Chinese Orchestra and Young Composer Award.  Her important work Silk Road has become a popular programme choice for traditional orchestras both at home and abroad.

In collaboration with renowned director Wang Chaoge, Jiang composed and arranged Impressions: Chinese Music in 2013 and Rediscover Chinese Music in 2015.  These two programmes were so successful that over a hundred performances had been given in China since their premiere.  In December 2015, with the staging of Rediscover Chinese Music and Impression: Rediscover Chinese Music (Concert Edition) at the John Kennedy F. Centre for the Performing Arts and the Carnegie Hall, Jiang Ying became the first composer who presented a musical experience entirely made up of Chinese orchestral works at the two most prestigious performing venues in the United States.  Rediscover Chinese Music was also nominated for Classical: NEXT Innovation Awards in 2016.

China National Traditional Orchestra

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

'Splendour of Folk Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra

06.05.2017 ( Sat)
20:00

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

$380, $320, $240, $160

BUY NOW

'Impressions: Rediscovering Chinese Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra

07.05.2017 (Sun)
20:00

Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

$450, $360, $280, $200

BUY NOW

DATE

'Splendour of Folk Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra

06.05.2017 ( Sat)
20:00

VENUE

Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

PRICE

$380, $320, $240, $160

BUY NOW

DATE

'Impressions: Rediscovering Chinese Music' by China National Traditional Orchestra

07.05.2017 (Sun)
20:00

VENUE

Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

PRICE

$450, $360, $280, $200

BUY NOW

Tickets available from 23 February at all URBTIX outlets, on Internet, by Mobile Ticketing App and Credit Card Telephone Booking.

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and the minder, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first served basis.)

Group Booking Discount

10% off for each purchase of 4-9 standard tickets ; 15% off for 10-19 standard tickets; 20% off for 20 or more standard tickets.

‘Great Music’ Package Discount

For each purchase of standard tickets for ‘China National Traditional Orchestra (6/5 concert)’, ‘China National Traditional Orchestra (7/5 concert)’, ‘Concert by Midori and Philharmonic String Ensemble Vienna’, ‘Last Tango in Berlin - Ute Lemper in Concert’, and ‘Vocal Recital by Renée Fleming’, the following concession applies:

5% off for any 2 programmes, 10% off for any 3 programmes, 15% off for any 4 programmes; 20% off for all 5 programmes.

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discount offers. Please inform the box office staff at the time of purchase.

Running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours including an intermission of 15 minutes. 

Audience is strongly advised to arrive punctually.  Latecomers will only be admitted during the intermission or at a suitable break.

Presenter reserves the right to change the programme and artists.

Programme Enquiries: 2268 7321

Ticketing Enquiries: 3761 6661

Credit Card Telephone Booking: 2111 5999

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