Comprising many distinguished musicians on the music scene, the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan (NCO) is a professional orchestra which aims to explore tradition on the local land as well as to embrace the contemporary era. The orchestra establishes the foundation of Taiwan’s traditional music by means of composing, conveys Taiwan’s aesthetic and artistic taste by performing, aims for promoting the traditional and contemporary music in Taiwan, and deepens the beauty of Taiwan with music on the international stage.
Inaugurated in 1984 as the former ‘National Taiwan Academy of Arts Experimental Chinese Orchestra’ by the Ministry of Education, NCO’s has had an academic research and development vision regarding ‘nation and culture’, ‘ethnic and music’, ‘theory and practice’, and ‘instruction and instrumental performance’. In May, 2012, to conform to the foundation of the Ministry of Culture, it has been formally renamed ‘National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan’ (NCO) affiliated with the National Center for Traditional Arts.
Since 2014 the Music Director Yan Huichang has gradually established a Taiwanese brand of Chinese orchestra with concepts like ‘telling stories of Taiwan with Chinese orchestral music’, ‘employing local materials and talents ’, and ‘musically connecting Taiwan and the world ’. NCO’s performances integrate theatre, dance, fine arts, poetry, and literature, combining innovation and tradition with strongly infectious arts.
All the group members make every effort to promote traditional music and arrange charity performing tours to communities and schools every year by which people’s lives could be richened. As the country’s cultural ambassadors, they have their footprints all over the world, including Europe, America, and Asia to deliver charming melody.
