China National Traditional Orchestra to Play Two New York City Concerts This December

Princeton International Chinese Festival proudly presents China National Traditional Orchestra's triumphant return to exhuberantly showcase heritage works in a modern light in two distinct and riveting New York appearances.

Comprised of highly esteemed musicians, the orchestra mesmerizes with traditional Chinese instrumentation, beauty and artistry. CNTO has collaborated with several accomplished composers, musicians and a variety of creative artists. Their extensive repertoire of new and traditional works is a result of hundreds of commissioned works and arrangements made just for them. In recent years, the orchestra has pushed its boundaries, embarking on an adventurous journey of exploration, continually surprising audiences by inviting them into a realm of a vibrant and re-imagined Chinese music experience.

The first appearance will take place on Friday, December 18th at 7:30pm at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. Splendor of Folk Music showcases the masterpieces of symbolic Chinese music, ranging from traditional, folk and to modern styles, transporting audiences to the great land of China, region by region. A series of new compositions by world-renowned composers will be performed by the world's greatest Chinese musicians, who have not only expanded the traditional impressions of Chinese music, but also intensified the richness of Chinese culture.

IMPRESSIONS: Rediscovering Chinese Music is staged in a theatrically immersive environment to thrill and delight audiences. This concert will be presented on Sunday, December 20th at 8pm at Carnegie Hall and will feature original compositions and arrangements by CNTO Composer-in-Residence Jiang Ying.

Princeton International Chinese Festival is a program of the American Alliance for World Music and Arts. For more details visit: www.aawma.org or www.facebook.com/americanallianceforworldmusicandarts.

IF YOU GO:

Friday, December 18, 2015 at 7:30pm
Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
65th St. & Broadway, New York, NY
212-721-6500
http://www.lincolncenter.org/show/china-national-traditional-orchestra
$20-$86.50
Subway: 1 to 66th St. Lincoln Center

Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 8pm
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
57th St. & 7th Ave., New York, NY
212-247-7800
http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2015/12/20/0800/PM/China-National-Traditional-Orchestra/
$20-$110
Subways: N/Q/R to 57th St.; A/B/C/D/1 to 59th St. Columbus Circle

The China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) is a prominent performing arts organization directly administered by the Ministry of Culture. Members of the CNTO - comprising an orchestra of traditional instruments and a chorus -- are highly esteemed musicians both at home and abroad. Founded in 1960 under the guidance of the late Premier Zhou Enlai, the CNTO's inaugural President Li Huanzhi (January 1919-March 2000) was an esteemed composer and Chairman of the Chinese Musicians' Association. Current president Xi Qiang is an expert performer on bowed string instruments and ethnomusicologist; he is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The CNTO's mission is the promotion and advancement of China's musical heritage. With an extensive repertoire of traditional and new works, the CNTO has long contributed to the country's cultural landscape. Throughout the decades, all of China's leaders - Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping - and many foreign dignitaries have enjoyed CNTO's performances, many of which having won high praises. The CNTO has visited numerous countries over the years, among them the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Egypt and Japan. During the Beijing Olympics, the CNTO presented an evening of Chinese traditional music at the Great Hall of the People for visiting leaders as well as China's own statesmen. The CNTO was featured in the welcome dinner of the 22nd APEC Economic Leader's Meeting in Beijing in 2014. In recent years, the CNTO has produced such iconic full-length programs as Impressions on Guoyue, Rediscover Guoyue, Golden Echoes, Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, Grand Music from China, Bridge to Chinese Music, Cowherd and Weaver Maid, Chinese Music in Splendor, Beautiful Xinjiang, Tibetan Spring and Love Songs in the Moonlight.