In spring 2010, China NCPA Orchestra unveiled to public. NCPA’s Artistic Director of Music, Maestro Chen Zuohuang is the orchestra’s Principal Conductor, and Singapore-born conductor Joshua Kangming Tan is engaged as the Residential Conductor. More than half of its musicians have oversea experiences, together with a number of excellent artists who have won national and international competitions. The orchestra performs in most of NCPA’s own productions of operas and ballets, together with presenting its own concert series under the name of China NCPA Concert Hall Orchestra.
The orchestra’s first public performance was in NCPA Opera Festival 2010, in which the orchestra performed in Xi Shi, Carmen, La Traviata, and l'Elisir d'Amore, their performances won great acclaim from world-top artists including Lorin Maazel and Christoph Eschenbach. Afterwards in 2010, the orchestra performed in NCPA’s production of Turandot, NCPA’s original dance drama Marco Polo, and Don Quixote (ballet) with Dutch National Ballet.
Under the name of China NCPA Concert Hall Orchestra, concerts with famous artists such as the principal soloists from Berlin Philharmoniker, legendary baritone Leo Nucci, and pianist Yuja Wang opened the orchestra’s first concert series. Afterwards, the orchestra held concerts with a spectrum of repertoire ranged from Baroque pieces to contemporary works, under famous maestros such as Lorin Maazel, Gunter Herbig, together with top artists including Stephen Kovacevich, Lu Siqing, Ning Feng, Zhao Jing, etc. The orchestra also participated “NCPA May Festival” and “Roam about the Classics” series concert, plus the cross-over concerts with Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi and “Around the World with Disney” concerts won enthusiastic response from younger audiences. After the successful performance of La Traviata in June, Maestro Lorin Maazel immediately decided to return to Beijing in September 2010 to conduct two successful concerts with the orchestra, and further cooperation between Maestro Maazel and China NCPA Orchestra is planning.
China NCPA Orchestra is also devoted to educational and outreach activities. The orchestra has presented a series of successful weekend educational matinee concerts since September 2010 under Joshua Kangming Tan. With a carefully selected repertoire blended with famous masterpieces and rarely performed works, those concerts won great acclaim from both audience and critics.
China NCPA Orchestra made its first appearance outside Beijing in December 2010. Under the invitation of Hainan Provincial Government, Maestro Chen Zuohuang conducted two concerts in Haikou, Hainan Province on Dec. 29th and 30th; he won great acclaim both in Hainan Province and nationwide. Then in January 2011, the orchestra joined the tour of NCPA’s production of Turandot to S. Korea, presented four successful performances under the baton of Li Xincao.
The NCPA aims to build a world class orchestra with operation and management conforms to global practices, albeit with Chinese characteristics.
See the orchestra's members list.
