Taipei Chinese Orchestra

Time has flown by so fast and 6 wonderful years has come to an end. I am to leave the position as general director of Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO) in April 2021.
I stumbled upon the opportunity to become a part of the TCO family 6 years ago. Though taking such a position was never in my original career plan, it was an unexpected journey I am nothing but grateful for. I have learned so much from so many talented musicians and staff members. It was a precious gift and I basked in every moment of it.

TCO and I strived to make a difference in the world of Chinese music for the past few years. TCO was never content with putting on monotonous events all year long. We dedicated 8 to 10 respective series across a wide spectrum to different audience groups, maximising the impact and exhausting all possibility.

TCO has also entered into talent education projects and publishing quality sheet music for the past 6 years. We conducted the 2016 Youth Composer Cultivation Project and in the 2020, Who Will Be the Successors - The Young Multi-Star Project was initiated in collaboration with another 3 government professional orchestras, 3 professional academic institutions, and a large number of outstanding guest conductors. The effort was to provide youth musicians an opportunity to sharpen their skills and gain valuable experience in the music world going forward. We have also published the very first Chinese music practice guide - 800 Tips for Chinese Orchestra - Excerpts. It has been considered the Bible for aspiring musicians.

Aside from cultivating young talents, TCO has also devised a winning marketing strategy and increased international exposure. We decided to embrace social media where the new generation thrives and shift out attention away from traditional marketing strategy step by step. The move steadily drove up our ticket sales. Right before the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019, TCO has seen the largest volume in ticket sales in 40 years. In 2020, though the pandemic has caused the performing industry to come to a screeching halt, live concerts on-line still attracted thousands and thousands of watchers and over 200 medias overseas to cover the success. This greatly enhanced the exposure of TCO on the international level and acknowledged Taiwan’s capability in fighting the pandemic. In 2018 TCO performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and released an album with Naxos Records in 2020. All these made a difference in the music world in Taiwan.

That been said, musical performance is, after all, the priority of professional orchestras. For the past 6 years TCO members performed an eclectic mix of music, fine-tuning the details and giving the performance remarkable pliability and nuance. We have finally developed a unique style and identity which separates us from other music ensembles after strenuous practicing and perfecting. The birth of Sound of Taipei is not the result of mere fluke and for that I am filled with gratitude and pride.

TCO has been established for over 40 years and under the tutelage of 5 directors: CHEN Tun-Chu, CHEN Tscheng-Hsiung, Wang Zheng-Ping, CHUNG Yiu-Kwong, and me. We all fought for the same things - to exploit and increase the potential of Chinese music industry and build an amazing brand. This is not something that can be done in 6 years by one single director. It is my most sincere wish that the new director would be able to lead TCO to an even brighter future in collaboration with the music industry and bring Taiwan Chinese music to the next level.


01 The Route to Innovation : ​Passing the Torch and Wishing for A Bright Future Ahead with Gratitude
02 Cover Story : ​Fine - Tuning the Sound of Taipei - CHENG Li-Pin Interview
04 Stunning Figures : ​To See A World in A Single Note - TCO Concertmaster CHEN Hui-Chun