Taipei Chinese Orchestra

When the spread of COVID-19 escalated in May 2021, performing arts related activities almost came to a screeching halt throughout the island. TCO managed to put together a program for the 2021/22 music season in the hope of fulfilling the social responsibility of a public orchestra and guide the artists and the public through this disastrous time together.

The new season, Sounds in Taipei, consists of eight series. TCO has been coming up with contingency plans since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. Little by little, the effort set a great foundation for the new music season. We are glad to offer some insights from our fight over the past year and hope to receive positive feedbacks from all of you. Only when we work together can we build a brand-new landscape for the arts and cultural industry after the pandemic releases its tight grip.

The programs of the new season will be divided into physical performances and online performances. For physical performances, quarantines and close downs due to the pandemic give us the opportunity to focus more on Taiwanese culture and outstanding local artists. For example, the Transfiguration of Pictorial Drama-A Musical Dialog between QU Chunquan & KO Ming-Feng  of the Principal Conductor Series teaches us to appreciate the ingenious fusion of different instruments and schools of thought in playing techniques with newly arranged Taiwanese opera music.

Online programs are not limited by either time or space. This way, TCO can promote Chinese music and continue to network with the international music world. TCO Principal Conductor Series consists of four online meeting - TCO 2021 Global Music Carnival sessions spread out over the period of four weeks. The carnival invited well-known music ensembles from Spain, France, Portugal and Indonesia to play with five local ensembles in Taiwan and hope to breathe new life and exotic elements such as Fado music and jazz into traditional Taiwanese folk songs such as Spring Breeze and Dieu Dieu Dang.

Though we have received critical acclaim, we must also admit that there is still a lot of room left for discussion on the implementation of online programs. First, mobile devices such as tablets and mobile phones are not the best choice when it comes to watching concerts. They are not designed for professional music performances and simply cannot deliver. Second, the production cost of online concerts is exorbitantly high. From shooting with multiple cameras to network bandwidth, there are a great many software and hardware requirements involved. Not to mention the rights to reproduce programs and the cost of broadcasting online also add to the heavy burden. As a public orchestra, TCO is already struggling to get by. It is hard to imagine private ensembles that are already quite desperate can even consider staging a performance online. The government, performing arts troupes, and related industries need to work together to troubleshoot and find a way for the troupes and ensembles to get back on their feet once the threat of COVID-19 is removed.

In addition to on stage performances, TCO also started collecting and sorting historical materials on Chinese music. This edition, People of The Moment features an interviewed of CHEN Jian-Ting, a 97-year-old Chinese music maestro who became the first disciple of pipa master SUN Pei-Zhang in Taiwan when he got into Broadcasting Corporation of China Chinese Orchestra. Later He founded the Bamin Music Conservatory and had an eventful life. Following his path, we can get a glimpse of the inheritance and evolution of Chinese music in Taiwan. His life is a testament to the transformative changes in Chinese music across generations.

We shall read carefully into the life events of CHEN and learn from the precious gift.


01 The Route to Innovation : ​Together, We Move Forward
02 Cover Story : Building Rapport Around the World Through Music
03 A Journey Into Chinese Music : TCO As Music As Life — Arts Integration in School That Will Go a Long Way