Showcasing traditional arts

The Taipei Traditional Arts Festival (TTAF, 台北傳統藝術季) is once again set to bring a mixed bag of dance, theater, opera and music to Taipei over the following months, when the Taipei City Government and the Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO, 台北市立國樂團) sponsored event kicks off with a recital of Tang and Sung Dynasty poetry this weekend at the Chungshan Hall (中山堂).

At a pre-festival reception earlier last week, Taipei mayor, Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九), voiced his support for the City Government's continuing support for the annual event and its place in what is officially known as the Four-Season Tourism Theme.

"The [Taipei Traditional Arts Festival] is an important part of the city's on-going plans to develop Taipei as a cultural city offering both locals and tourists alike the opportunity to discover the city's cultural heritage," said the mayor.

Although the festival, funding for which is provided by the City Government, was first held in 1989, the concept for the event was based on an idea put forward by ex-President, Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), during his tenure as Taipei mayor.

According to current Chungshan Hall and TCO director, Wang Cheng-ping (王正平), Lee, who was mayor of the nation's capital from 1978 until 1984, personally asked the TCO's then director, Chen Cheng-hsiung (陳澄雄), to organize an event showcasing both the rich cultural heritage and continuing developments of the many forms of traditional Chinese arts.

"Being the first fully professional Chinese classical orchestra in Taiwan at the time it was felt that it was the only organization with the resources to organize such an event," explained Wang.

Founded in 1979, the TCO, or the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra, as it was known until last year, was, and still is, one of Taiwan's leading promoters of various forms of Chinese classical music. The orchestra holds numerous performances both in and outside of Taipei and organizes music education and appreciation classes at both schools and community centers citywide.

Based out if the Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall (北市社教館) since 1983, the orchestra was relocated to the Chungshan Hall upon completion of the decade-long and somewhat controversial renovations that cost Taipei tax payers close to NT$400 million in Dec. 2001.

Much like the political opinions of the festival's founding father, a lot has changed within the TTAF since 1989. Once solely a platform for Taiwan's classical music, dance and opera entertainers, the event now sees opera troupes and musical ensembles from China as well as Europe and the Americas invited to take part.

"We've certainly branched out quite a bit. And while the event has continued to focus on various regional forms of traditional Chinese music, poetry and opera, we have taken the opportunity to invite non-Chinese orchestras and individuals to perform with us," said Wang.

While Western orchestras have been invited to take part in the past, this year's special guests all hail from China, a move that, according to Wang, was made in order to avoid the lengthy and costly process of amalgamating Western and Oriental ensembles and writing special scores.

"The budget dictates what we can and can't include in the festival. Obviously it is never going to be enough so we have to simply make do with what we are given," continued Wang. "There are numerous performers in China and Europe who we would love to invite, but it's impossible.