Chinese Music

"KuKu-Music, based in Beijing/China is a syndicate of Chinese Musicians who dedicate their work to produce and feature New Art Music in and from China.

Chinese Art Music has a long history, reaching back more then 3000 years. The world wide oldest perfectly preserved instrument is a set of bells of an incredible size (the whole set is about 12 meters wide!), produced more then 2500 years ago. The music for the Chinese zither guqin is preserved in tablatures dating back more then 1000 years. 12-tone-system and chromatic tuning existed 1000 years before being developed in Europe. During many dynasties in China there existed special ministries for music, to administrate styles and ensembles throughout this giant empire.

But what has happened to Chinese Art Music today? An everlasting repetition of a pretty small repertoire, highly skilled musicians with little creativity, big "traditional orchestras" copying Western ensemble structures in a very questionable way, and still only very view new compositions that develop on the base of Chinese tradition in a creative and modern way. Music-shows feature a singing style that lost any cultural roots and identity, and an environment for concerts of any kind of New Art Music hardly exists.

Facing this situation the KuKu-Music-people are doing quite some pioneering with their creations of music in China. In contrast to most Chinese music, which on the one hand still is very local in musical style or on the other hand has lost all cultural identity, the KuKu-productions feature a global musical language, which is yet clearly rooted in Chinese music tradition. That makes these productions not only an important input for the development in China, but also gives them the position to represent China in other cultures in a contemporary and understandable way." ... more

"The B.C. Chinese Music Association (BCCMA) was formed in 1995 by enthusiastic Chinese music lovers who wished to promote Chinese music within our multicultural society. It provides a platform for Chinese music lovers and promotes Chinese music in the wider community. Its aim is to share Chinese musical culture with others to increase Canada's understanding of Chinese culture through music.

The BCCMA is fortunate to have Honorary President Mr. S.K. Lee, Honorary Patron Dr. Paul C.H. Wong, and Honorary Advisors: Mr. Nai-Chung Kwan, Mr. Cheng-Fu Liu, Professor Alan Thrasher, Mr. Leung-Tak Tong, Mr. Hui-Chang Yan and Mr. Cheng-Long Zhou for guidance and support in achieving the association's goals with professionalism.

The B.C. Chinese Orchestra (BCCO) has been performing regularly in various cultural, festive, and charitable events for the community. The B.C. Chinese Music Ensemble (BCCME) and the B.C. Youth Chinese Orchestra (BCYCO) were formed to introduce virtuosos and to train young musicians respectively.

The BCCMA has organized lectures, master classes, instrument exhibitions, seasonal concerts, and fundraising concerts. It coordinated with the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival to help host the "Chinese Ethnic Instruments Classes" competition since 2001. It also collaborated with the Central Conservatory of Music, China to host the "Overseas Chinese Instruments Grade Examination" from 2006 in Canada." ... more

"Here, in the Chinese Arts and Music Association, you will find everything you want to know about this organization, samples of Chinese classical music, specifications and history on various kinds of Chinese classical music instruments, and a registration form is also available if you are interested in joining us.

Here's some historical facts on Chinese music and the goals from the president of CAMA Warren Chang that might help you getting started:

Music has always been an important part of Chinese History. Seven thousand years ago, in the infancy of civilization, our ancestors had already established the art form of music.

Traditional Chinese music is rich and multifaceted. Having endured countless changes of dynasties through history, it has absorbed and accumulated many expressive styles into its expanding repertoire. Within such a complex program, the most remarkable branch is the instrumental music. Chinese instrumental performance has its unique and distinguished character, and its own independent mode of music expression. Whether performing an energetic, exuberant folk dance piece or a sentimental, melodious composition, instrumental music can express most human emotion with ease. No wonder Chinese instrumental music has become a never fading blossom in the garden of world music, and continues to receive special attention and acclamation from music lovers all over the world." ... Read more about CAMA

"Founded in 1950, the Central Conservatory of Music is located at the former Prince Chun's Residence of Qing Dynasty and merged together with the National Conservatory of Music, the Peking National School of Fine Arts and other 6 departments of music in Universities from 1920s to 1940s in China. Music Department of the Yenching University ( 1927), the Music Department of the Literature and Art School of the North China University (1939), the National Academy of Music in Nanjing (1940), the Music Department of the National Peiping School of Arts (1946), and the Music Department of the Northeast Lu Hsun Institute of Literature and Art. Moved from Tianjin to Beijing in 1958, it was ranked among the national leading universities in 1960. Currently, it was listed as one of the leading universities in the "211 project" in 2000, the only institution in Academies of Fine Arts in China, and only key institution of higher learning supervised directly under the Ministry of Education of the State Council among all academies of arts in China. The ex-presidents have included Ma Sicong, Zhao Feng, Wu Zuqiang, and Liu Lin. Professor Wang Cizhao is the current president.

As an institution of single discipline for training high level musical specialists in higher learning, the Central Conservatory of Music has evolved a complete system of pedagogy embracing courses of all levels starting from elementary classes up to postgraduate programs for master and doctoral degrees. The Conservatory has departments of composition, conducting, musicology, music education, voice and opera, piano, orchestral instruments, and traditional Chinese instruments, academic study, offering undergraduate programs of study for a period of 4 to 5 years and postgraduate program for 2 or 3 years. The attached institutions also include a six-year middle school and a three-year primary school, giving courses in piano, orchestral instruments, traditional Chinese instruments and music theory. The Music Research Institute is the Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ministry of Education. The Orchestra Academy was established in 2005 for training orchestral musicians and offering postgraduate program, the first of its kind in Asia. The Journal of the Central Conservatory of Music, a quarterly published by the Conservatory, is widely distributed at home and abroad. The post-doctoral station has also been set up recently. The Institute of Violin Making, Modern Electro-acoustic Music Centre, Voice Research Centre, Music Therapy Center, College of Continuing Education Music, Education Center of Distance Learning and Division of Social Education of Music are designated to conduct interdisciplinary researches for the aim of enriching the programs." ... more

"China People Promotions (CPP) was formed in 1994 by a group of Chinese musicians. Based in the UK, we promote Chinese arts and culture through organising concerts and festivals, Educational workshops, and music productions within the UK and Europe.

CPP Mission:
Our mission is to raise the standard and awareness of Chinese arts and culture across the UK and to improve the breadth and depth of the public knowledge of Chinese culture.

We have strong links with professional Chinese arts groups, independent artists and musicians in the UK. We also work with visiting Chinese artists from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and other parts of the world. As well as organising our own projects, many of our projects are in collaboration with other organisations throughout the country.

We have strong links with professional Chinese arts groups, independent artists and musicians in the UK. We also work with visiting Chinese artists from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and other parts of the world. As well as organising our own projects, many of our projects are in collaboration with other organisations throughout the country.

For a long time, people in this country had little or no chance of being entertained by professional Chinese artists. People have only recently become more aware of Chinese ethnic music. This has been possible due to the increasing cultural activities between China and England, also number of professional artists coming to this country as residents or as visitors. This has given us the opportunity to establish a nationwide network. We aim to promote Chinese arts and culture to a wide audience of all ages, gender and kind. Our services take particular emphasis in the education sector such as colleges, universities, schools and community groups alike." ... more

"China’s national symphony, the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO), is one of the most outstanding professional symphony orchestras in China. Originally founded as the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China in 1956, the orchestra was restructured and renamed in 1996. Leading the CNSO into the future are Director Guan Xia (Composer), Laureate Conductor Muhai Tang, Principal Resident Conductor Li Xincao, and Principal Guest Conductor En Shao.

The CNSO is made up of an outstanding team of instrumentalists, many of whom have won prizes in national and international competitions. The combination of consummate artistry, dedication and professionalism of the orchestra’s players has enabled the CNSO to maintain a consistently high level of performance and to create an orchestral tradition unique to China. The orchestra owes its growth and development in the past 50 years to its successive leaders and artists such as famous musician Li Lin and famous conductors Li Delun, Han Zhongjie, Yan Liangkun, Qiu Li, Zuohuang Chen, and Muhai Tang.

For almost half a century, the CNSO has introduced Chinese audiences to a vast repertoire of classical, romantic, modern and contemporary orchestral works by both Western and Asian composers. It continues to foster a tradition of the People’s Republic of China’s first performances and world premieres. The CNSO’s concerts are frequently broadcast on radio and television throughout China and the world. Many recordings of the CNSO’s performances have been made and published worldwide with the cooperation from the China Record Company, the French Record Company, Philips Record Company and the Channel Classics Records of Netherlands. The orchestra regularly visits quite a number of cities in China, including the major centres of Taiwan Province, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. It has made historical and remarkable contributions to promoting Chinese symphonic works and introducing Chinese audiences to great symphonies of the Western tradition in China, and the successful performances they offer have been greatly applauded by the public throughout the world." ... more

"Established in 2003, CRC Jianian, Inc. is a joint venture partnership between Los Angeles based consultancy firm AIM Group LLC and China Record Corporation (CRC), the Chinese government's oldest and largest record company. Originally founded by the company's CEO, Frank Mayor, Chairman Li Xiaoping, President, Jackie Subeck and Sr. Vice President Nana Lee, the joint venture has headquartered offices in Hollywood and Beijing with additional representation in four other major Chinese cities including Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

CRC Jianian holds the exclusive worldwide rights to publish and distribute CRC's historical catalog that features the largest collection of traditional Chinese ethnic, instrumental, opera and folk music, spanning some 5,000 years of Chinese musical history. Additionally, CRC Jianian announced the signings of over 50 Chinese contemporary artists releases, including famous pop star Pang Long, all-girl punk rock band Hang on the Box, and Mongolian-flavored Hanggai. The company also holds rights to Tanggula, one of the largest Tibetan music catalogs on the globe." ... more

"Established in late 2007, China Music Publishing was created to offer western music copyright holders a "safe-haven" within China's budding music publishing industry. As of 2008, music publishing is still in its infancy in China and remains without required broadcaster fees and royalty collections. With over 25 years on the ground in the market, China Music Publishing's team is perfectly positioned to help guide and shape the standards for what will soon become one of the most profitable and exciting publishing markets on Earth!" ... more

"Gao Hong, a Chinese musical prodigy and master of the pear-shaped lute, the pipa, began her career as a professional musician at age 12. She graduated with honors from China's premier music school, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she studied with the great pipa master Lin Shicheng. In both China and the U.S. Gao has received numerous top awards and honors, including First Prize in the Hebei Professional Young Music Performers Competition and an International Art Cup in Beijing. In 2005 Gao Hong became the first traditional musician to be awarded the prestigious Bush Artist Fellowship, and in 2008 she became the only musician in any genre to win three McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians. The Minnesota State Arts Board has awarded her with an Artist Assistance Fellowship, an Artist Initiative Grant, and a Cultural Community Partnership grant. She has also received a LIN (Leadership Initiatives in Neighborhoods) Grant from the St. Paul Companies; three Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grants; an Asian Pacific Award; and an Encore award, a Subito award, and two Performance Incentive Funds from the American Composers Forum..." more

" Located in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, the Chinese Culture Net company was founded in 1997 by three young idealistic women -- the Wang Sisters, Wei Wang, Fei Wang, and Rui Wang, a.k.a. Annie Wang. the Wang sisters grew up in a cultured family of Beijing and were educated in the west. They are authors, painters, musicians, multimedia producers and world travelers.

CCN is an effort to combine the classic, modern and future into one body. CCN's mission is to conquer the communication barrier between the east and west and introduce Chinese culture to the world." ... more about the Chinese Culture Net
and about The Guqin Association

"Opera Hong Kong is the first opera company to have been established in Hong Kong. The company was formed in July 2003 as a non-profit-making charitable organisation. Since its inception, Opera Hong Kong has become a firmly established part of Hong Kong’s cultural scene.

Opera Hong Kong is committed to the mission of enhancing the appreciation of the art of opera in Hong Kong and promoting local musical talents. We firmly believe that opera productions should be given a permanent niche in a culturally vibrant city such as Hong Kong.

In addition to staging operas and other performances, Opera Hong Kong aims to make opera easy and fun to understand for the general public, especially the young, through a programme of educational and outreach activities.

Since the Inauguration Gala Concert, Love for Hong Kong for Opera, with international star singers accompanied by International Orchestra of Italy, Opera Hong Kong has gone from strength to strength under the artistic direction of Warren Mok, the internationally acclaimed Hong Kong tenor, with 7 productions of La Traviata, Turandot, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Romeo et Juliette, Aïda and Werther." ... more

"Melody of China, a non-profit organization, is the premiere Chinese music ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization was formed in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic professional musicians from some of the most prestigious music conservatories in China. The ensemble has a two-fold mission: to promote Chinese classical, folk and contemporary music, and to provide quality entertainment through the synergy between an ancient cultural tradition and youthful, multi-colored American culture. Toward such an end, Melody of China has been busy with regular concert performances as well as presenting a variety of educational programs for local schools and community events.

Multi-instrumentalist Hong Wang and yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer) virtuoso Yangqin Zhao co-lead the ensemble. Members of MOC include: Wanpen Guo on sheng (mouth organ), Linhong Li on pipa (Chinese lute); Haiyue Zhang on ruan (moon guitar) and liuqin (Chinese mandolin) Gangqin Zhao on guzheng (table harp), Xian Lu on dizi (Chinese bamboo flutes) and other wind instruments, Wei Wang on percussion and Zhang Yu on suona (double reeds). In addition, the ensemble’s programs often include guest appearances by many professional musicians visiting or residing in the San Francisco Bay Area." ... more

"This is the new home of music education for the Asia-Pacific region. You will find information about music education in the region as well as details of study opportunities in the UK.

The site includes directories of educational institutions and services across each territory as well as key information from UK examining boards, music colleges, university music departments, schools and colleges.

During the first year of the project, the site will focus on Hong Kong SAR, China and Singapore with other territories being added during the second phase." ... more

"Music From China (MFC) is an extraordinary musical ensemble that invokes the delicacy and power of both traditional and contemporary Chinese music.

Discover the sights and sounds of "silk strings and bamboo winds" with fiddles, lutes, plucked zithers, bamboo flutes, reeded mouth organs, and hammered dulcimers.

Step back in time for several millennia and hear the ancient sounds of the sheng and the pipa, or listen to the compelling music of the erhu.

The percussive strength of drums, gongs, cymbals, and woodblocks summons the spirit of ancient music and invokes the vitality of folk music and traditional opera." more

"Musicpatio is dedicated to promote Chinese traditional guzheng music and culture. We understand the difficulty for people in the United States to access the guzheng resource and share their interest. We work very hard, often every single day to fulfill our mission - to bridge the gap between the East and the West, to promote greater understanding and appreciation of guzheng music and Chinese culture, and to provide cultural exchange opportunities for students and guzheng lovers.

Musicpatio.com is founded by Mr. Yunqing Pan and Ms. Huibi Liu. Yunqing is a renown guzheng performer and instructor with over 20 years of experience in guzheng performing and over 8 years in guzheng teaching. Huibi is an enthusiastic lover of guzheng music and Chinese culture promoter. We teach the students not only guzheng playing skills, but also the relevant culture and background behind the guzheng music." ... more

"Tan Dun is widely recognized for using non traditional and organic instruments in his compositions. His piece Water Passion After St. Matthew employs amplified bowls of water in lieu of traditional percussion, and his Paper Concerto (2003) relies solely on the manipulation of paper to create music. He is also recognized for adding multimedia aspects to his performances, such as orchestras that interact with video, or audience participation...(Wikipedia, about Tan Dun) or you can clic here for see the Tan Dun web site.

Tribal Music Asia
The Music of the Golden Triangle

"This site showcases the works of Victoria Vorreiter.

Over the past several years she has turned her attention to documenting the tribal music and ceremonies of the peoples of the Golden Triangle in the heart of Asia.

This area is populated by indigenous hill tribe people who have used music and ceremonies to pass their history, traditions and knowledge from generation to generation. The importance of hill tribe music can not be over emphasised. It is a part of every aspect of their lives. This is illustrated by an Akha saying... "If a village has no music how can it be called a village".

This site details the contents of the Book and CD already created as well as giving information of upcomig events and mulitimedia exhibitions as this project unfolds..." more

It's all about Life, Nature and Spirituality

A musical treasure rooted in the East;
We adopt modern and innovative approaches;
Seeking to invite the whole world to hear the music.

Sharing music as the Core Value
As a music-lover who started playing the flute since childhood, the founder of Wind Music, Ken Yang, is lucky to have music accompany him in much of the course of his growing up experience. Such a passion toward music helps him realize that he could make the world a much better place by sharing music with people. It is the belief in the power of music that drives Ken to found Wind Music.

Uniqueness from the East
The philosophy from the East is distinguished for its harmonious wisdom. They were mostly manifested in Book of Change (Yi-Ching), the concepts of Ying and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Daoist School of thoughts. Thus, Wind Music strives to capture the insights and values of these timeless philosophical wisdom and cultural heritage in order to embody them in music. To this end, Wind music tries to utilize modern and creative ways to recreate the unique Chinese music imagery and to relate with modern living in the 21st century. We wish to provide our special musical elements to nourish modern human¡¦s body, mind and spirit..." more

UK Chinese Music Ensemble

Formally established in 1996, the UK Chinese Ensemble (UKCE) is a dedicated professional Chinese music organisation comprising renowned Chinese virtuosi resident mainly in Britain. Its founding members include world-class guqin master professor Li Xiangting, Daoist and erhu music expert Chen Dacan and pipa/guqin virtuoso and ethnomusicologist Dr Cheng Yu.

Since its inception, the ensemble and its musicians have performed many hundreds of concerts, festivals and workshops throughout the UK and in Europe. The group has appeared at such major venues as the London Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Opera House and at the Brighton, Edinburgh and Pontardawe (Wales) Festivals. In Europe and beyond, the musicians have performed at the festivals of WOMEX (Spain), WOMAD (Canada, Sweden and Finland), Spoleto (Italy), Masala (Germany) and Babel Med Music (France). Apart from many published CD albums (see CD Recordings), the musicians are in demand for film and TV music recordings such as Disney’s film Mulan and Shanghai Noon and the BBC’s Wild China documentary. The UKCE has initiated and supported its award-winning group the Silk String Quartet and the popular Silk and Bamboo Ensemble as well as a Chinese-Western mixed ensemble, the Yin-Yang Collective.

The aim of the organisation is to foster and support a sustainable Chinese musicians’ collective to promote the practice, understanding and development of Chinese music in multi-cultural Britain and beyond." ... more

"Both through the exotism and diversity of her musical repertoire and the artistic finesse of her performance, the pipa concert offered by the virtuoso Yadong Guan brings a special magic to the ear and soul of the listener. As a soloist in the traditional Chinese repertoire or as part of a duet or trio in original compositions or in the adaptation of the musical work by Vivaldi , Debussy, Bartok or others, the interpretations are sensitive, touching and compelling the sounds are mesmerizing and fascinating." ... more

"The China Conservatory is an institution that synthesizes the study and research of Chinese traditional music, focusing on performance, composition, theory, and music technology.The Conservatory also offers training in other fields of music as well as music education.

The China Conservatory was founded on September 21, 1964.It combined the resources of the Central Conservatory Chinese Music Department, the Beijing Arts Academy Music Department, and the China Music Research Institute, as well as bringing together renowned musicians and scholars in the field from across the country.Presently, the China Conservatory offers the following eight fields of study: Musicology, Composition, Chinese Instruments, Vocal and Opera, Piano, Music Education, Conducting, and Arts Administration.In addition, there are departments of Music Research, Extra-musical Studies, Adult Education, International Exchange, as well as an affiliated Secondary School.The Conservatory therefore offers study programs for secondary school students, undergraduates, research graduates, adults, as well as foreign students.

Currently, the China Conservatory has over seventy assistant and full professors, eleven researchers, and numerous staff members. With its talented faculty and dedicated staff, the Conservatory has produced thousands of graduates since its establishment, many of whom have become renowned scholars, artists, and performers active on the national and international stage." ... more

Bambootunes.com is the place to listen to Chinese music!
Bambootunes.com offer you the most comprehensive selection of traditional Chinese music including:

• instrumental Chinese music,
• folk Chinese music,
• classic Chinese music
• and regional Chinese music.

more

"The Yellow River Ensemble is a professional Chinese music troupe that performs traditional and contemporary Chinese music on Chinese instruments such as the dizi (transverse bamboo flute), zhongruan (moon guitar), hulusi (gourd based reed instrument), gaohu (high-pitched bowed lute), erhu (python-skin bowed lute), guzheng (Chinese zither/harp), xiao (vertical bamboo flute), and various percussion instruments.

The group has been carefully constructed from the best professional Chinese musicians in the region, including faculty from York University and the University of Toronto's music departments, prolific soloists, and leading members of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra.

Members of the ensemble have performed across Canada, the United States, Poland, Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore, and mainland China, and for dignitaries such as the former president elect of Poland, Stanislaw Taminski. Their performances have been broadcast across China on CCTV. This pedigree has helped to develop the Yellow River Ensemble’s reputation as one of the best Chinese music ensembles in the country." ... more

"Founded in 1961 by its late Director, Mr. Tsuan-nien Chang (1917-1997), The CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF NEW YORK has grown from a few music lovers to becoming the oldest and largest Chinese orchestra in the United States. Its present membership of almost fifty musicians plays practically every type of Chinese musical instruments.

Recognized as the only full-scale Chinese orchestra in the Americas, the Ensemble maintains its standard of excellence through a program of musical exchanges with professional musicians from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Many of its award-winning musicians come from the Conservatory of Music of Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Tienjin and Shenyang, the College of Chinese Culture of Taipei as well as several renowned orchestras in China.

The Ensemble performances range from small ensemble groups of 3-12 musicians all the way to the full orchestra using a wide range of Chinese bowed and plucked strings, wind and percussion instruments. Its repertory ranges from ancient classical to modern compositions spanning some fifteen hundred years of history, as well as folk music of various regions or ethnic groups in China." ... more

"Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is united in its commitment to offering excellence in Chinese music. With a contemporary momentum and a professional spirit, we aims to strive for the peak in music and attain the status of a world-class orchestra that is the pride of Hong Kong people.

The Orchestra was founded in 1977 and is the only professional, full-sized Chinese orchestra with 85 musicians in Hong Kong. It came under the management of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited on 1st April, 2001 when the latter took over from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong.

The Orchestra is deeply rooted in the Chinese cultural heritage. Its performance format and repertoire include both traditional Chinese music and contemporary full-scale works. It also explores new frontiers in music through commissioning new works of various types and styles, and over the years, has commissioned more than 1,700 original compositions and arrangements. The Orchestra currently has an establishment of 85 musicians who perform in the four sections comprising bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion instruments. Traditional as well as improved Chinese instruments are incorporated." ... more