Established in 1960 and headed by Li Huanzhi, President of Chinese Musicians Association, the Central National Musical Instruments Orchestra is composed of the National Musical Instruments Orchestra, the Folksong Chorus Troupe and the Creation and Research Studio.

The Orchestra has a number of distinguished musicians, including Qin Pengzhang, Wang Tiechui, Zhang Li, Liu Wenjin, Jiang Jiaqiang, Hu Bingxu, Yan Huichang, etc., and quite a few prominent young talents who have been awarded prizes at international and domestic competitions. Some world-known musicians such as Yan Liangkun, Han Zhongjie, Bao Huiyang, Chen Chengxiong, San Mu Nian, Piao Fanxun have put on performances cooperated with the orchestra.

famous singer Zhu Mingying

Since the establishment of the orchestra, many performances have been given throughout the country and in foreign countries and regions such as the US, the former Soviet Union, the Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Yugoslavia, Japan, ROK, DRPR, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It was highly praised by audience at home and abroad and was awarded the highest honorary gold medal at the 6th and the 13th Youth Festival. In 1993, it set up the Asian Orchestra together with Japan Musical Group and Korean State National Music Orchestra.

At the Spring Festival of 1995, the Orchestra initiated the Concert of New Spring featuring strong national flavor, widely commended by the audience. Since then, the concert has become a regular event held at the Spring Festival once every year.

(Well-known Singer Zhu Mingying)

In 1997 the orchestra visited the US, giving concerts at 17 cities including New York, Washington D. C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is the first Chinese orchestra ever performed at New York Carnegie Concert Hall,causing a sensation at that time. Some influential newspapers such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times etc. carried favorable comments on its brilliant performances. At the Spring Festival of 1998, the orchestra went to Austria, holding at Vienna's golden hall a New Year Concert of China's Tiger Year. It also held successful performances at German Berlin Philharmonic Hall and other world-famous concert halls, including the one in Denmark, which signifies that China's folk music has moved towards the world.

Celebrated musicians with the orchestra include: Qin Pengzhang (representative work Moonlit Night On the Spring River, Wang Tiechui (Class-1 Performer, representative piece Five Clappers, Zhang Li (Class-1 Word-of-Song Writer, representative work Hedge, Women and Dog, Jiang Jinqiang (Class-1 Performer, representative work Seeing Meng Haoran Off at Yellow Crane Tower, Song Fei (Class-1 Performer, representative work Moon over Second Spring, etc.

The representative items on the program of the orchestra include Spring Festival Overture, Great Wall Capriccio, Moonlit Night on the Spring River, Moon over Second Spring, August Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere, Ballad of Camellia-Hill and Look about Sweetheart'.

Address:       15 Xiaoying Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Zipcode:        100101

Telephone:     (010)-64933821

Fax:           (010)-64933821