- Chinese Name: 采風樂坊
- Yearof Establishment: 1991
- Did You Know That … ?
- The Workshop hosts an annual Sizhu Music Composition Contest, offering up to US$2,300 for new compositions written for traditional Chinese instruments.
- Site: www.cfmw.com.tw/en-us/
Established in 1991 by renowned erhu player Huang Chen-ming (黃正銘) and pipa musician Lin Hui-kuan (林慧寬), Chai Found Music Workshop has established itself as one of the foremost Sizhu (Chinese chamber music) ensembles in the world.
The ensemble focuses on six traditional Chinese instruments - the pipa (Chinese lute), erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle), ruan (Chinese moon guitar), dizi (bamboo flute), yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), guzheng (Chinese plucked zither), and sheng (a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes).
To preserve and further the tradition of Taiwanese music, the Workshop is nurturing and enriching the ample tradition of Taiwanese music on both national and international stages in chamber music as well as orchestral settings.
The group has been actively collaborating with orchestras and other musical ensembles around the world and has commissioned composers to write pieces based on traditional Chinese themes such as the five elements of earth, wood, water, metal, and fire.
As a traditional Chinese ensemble, Chai Found has battled valiantly to broaden the appeal of traditional Chinese chamber music through the incorporation of modern musical styles and dramatic elements.
Over the last two decades, the group has performed contemporary classical music, as well as traditional Chinese and Taiwanese music, at numerous concerts in Taiwan, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Their musical work mainly focuses on three distinct areas - traditional Taiwanese and Chinese music, stage productions, and contemporary music.
SelectPrograms:
- Eastern Instrumental Theater I production"Ambush!” (2005) - This work is based on stories from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and relates the struggle for power between the two warlords Xiang Yu, supported by his love Consort Yu, and Liu Bang, who prevailed and became the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.
- Eastern Instrumental Theater II production "The Journey of the Monkey King” (2009) - This work is based on the classical Chinese novel "Journey to the West,” which depicts the spiritual experiences of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, and a monk on a quest named Tang Sanzang.
- Eastern Instrumental Theater III production "Limitless (WuJi)” (2011) - This work is based on Taoist philosophy, in which the human condition is presented through Sizhu interpretation of tragedy, disappointment, joy, and fulfillment.