The Grand Chinese New Year Concert is one of the most successful unconventional concert formats worldwide.

The Grand Chinese New Year Concert is one of the most successful unconventional concert formats worldwide. Over the last 18 years, Wu Promotion has organised concerts in about 20 countries on three continents, which included Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Egypt, Oman and Russia. Every year during the period of the Chinese Spring Festival, one of China’s acclaimed traditional orchestras presents a sample of the countries colourful domestic musical tradition in the renowned venues of the bouncing metropolises of the West.

Since the first concert in the Vienna Musikverein in 1998, the Grand Chinese New Year Concert has attracted more than 300.000 keen listeners. Year after year, a traditional orchestra from a different Chinese region is selected by a committee of experts to showcase the highlights of its local music works in the West. By changing the orchestra every year, audiences are able to discover the various ethnical music styles China has to offer. From the sounds of the horse-head fiddle from Inner Mongolia to the Cantonese melodies of the Gaohu - listeners are taken on a spectacular musical journey through the Chinese lands.

In order to make the Western audience develop an understanding for Chinese music, a moderator leads through the diverse concert program, introducing solo instruments like Erhu or Pipa and explaining the background of orchestral pieces or the meaning of the lyrics of a vocal performance. Under the baton of distinguished Chinese conductors and with well-versed musicians in beautiful traditional costumes, both traditional Chinese music as well as contemporary arrangements are interpreted. Interested listeners can immerse themselves in new soundscapes and broaden their musical horizons at the same time.

The Grand Chinese New Year Concert has been designed to enrich the cultural exchange between East and West and to bring Chinese traditional music, which has a history of more than 3000 years, to the world stages. In order to expand the awareness of Chinese traditional music in the West, Wu Promotion devotes itself to cooperation with domestic and foreign mainstream media. By following the television broadcasts, such as CCTV, ORF (1998), 3-Sat (1998), Arte (1999), Sender Freies Berlin (1999), SF Schweizer Fernsehen (2006), Russia Television (2007) and Czech National Television (2008), audience all around the world can enjoy the Grand Chinese New Year Concert. After 18 years of annual concert tours, the Grand Chinese New Year Concert has not only established an exemplary musical tradition but also contributed to the recognition of Chinese music as an essential element of the global musical heritage.

Links

Chinese New Year Concert: http://www.chinamusic.cn

History

1998, China National Traditional Orchestra, Conductor: Chen Xieyang
1999, China National Traditional Orchestra, Conductor: Chen Xieyang
2000, China Broadcasting Traditional Orchestra, Conductor: Pang Kapang
2001, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Xia Feiyun
2002, Hongkong Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Yan Huichang
2003, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Wang Yongji
2004, China Traditional Orchestra Nanjing, Conductor: Shi Zhongguang
2005, China Traditional Orchestra Tianjin, Conductor: Guan Naizhong
2006, China Traditional Orchestra Zhejiang, Conductor: Zhang Guoyong / Wang Fujian
2007, China Traditional Orchestra Zhejiang, Conductor: Zhang Guoyong / Wang Fujian
            China National Orchestra Huaxia, Conductor: Guan Naizhong
2008, Guangdong National Orchestra, Conductor: Hu Bingxu
2009, China Traditional Orchestra Anhui, Conductor: Zhu Xiaogu / Xu Hong
2010, China Broadcasting Traditional Orchestra, Conductor: Pang Kapang
2011, Hongkong Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Yan Huichang
2012, China Traditional Orchestra of Inner Mongolia, Conductor: Zhang Lie
2013, Shanxi Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Zhang Lie
2014, China Traditional Orchestra Zhejiang, Conductor: Zhang Guoyong / Zhang Lie
2015, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Wang Fujian
2016, Chinese Traditional Orchestra of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, Conductor: Hong Xia