The Chiayi City International Wind Band Festival Resounds with Melody – Stunning Performances by Five National Orchestras

The spectacular and melodious “2009 Chiayi City International Wind Band Festival” enters its 18th year this time around. This 10-day musical carnival will kick off with great enthusiasm from December 25 to January 3, 2010. This annual wind band extravaganza, which music enthusiasts look forward to and long for each year, invites everyone to cheer loudly with the slogan “It’s All About the Wind!”

This year, nearly 100 domestic and international ensembles have come together to celebrate the event. On December 25, the festival will open with the “Wind Band City Forum” and an opening concert by the Chiayi City Wind Orchestra. At 09:30 on December 26, at Chiayi’s most bustling Central Fountain, the opening ceremony will feature 250 young dancers passionately performing the event’s theme song “Whatever Kind of Music” as a dynamic opening. This will be followed by the highly anticipated street performances including wind band parades, creative parades, and formation-changing displays – a non-stop, 9-hour continuous spectacle that promises to be thrilling.

This year, internationally acclaimed orchestras have been specially invited, along with a range of innovative performances. The New York VJO Pioneer Jazz Orchestra, which won the Grammy Awards for “Best Large Ensemble” in 2004 and 2009, will make its first Asian debut. Ten overseas ensembles from five countries — the United States, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Inner Mongolia — will perform. A pop singer has been invited to record the event’s theme song “Whatever Kind of Music.” In addition to the street parade, there will also be 73 indoor and outdoor concerts, with over 5,000 wind musicians performing together – surely making this year’s festival truly unforgettable.

The opening ceremony on December 26 will feature a total of 26 outstanding domestic marching bands, including Taipei Municipal First Girls’ High School, which is participating in the festival for the first time, as well as marching bands from Thailand and Inner Mongolia. This year’s event has specially planned three crossover performances, integrating indigenous music, flamenco dance, and pop music into the opening concert, New Year’s concert, and closing concert, respectively, delivering uniquely styled wind band performances. Star singer Lin Yirong (from the second season of “One Million Star”) will collaborate with the Chiayi University Department of Music Wind Orchestra.

December in Chiayi City is not only a “wind band heaven,” where you can enjoy stunning performances by both domestic and international wind orchestras, but also a great opportunity to experience the city’s local charm — such as the Botanical Garden, Chiayi Park, Sun-Shooting Tower, Lantan Reservoir, Chiayi Municipal Museum, Chiaochih Pottery Museum, Shiangtai Cultural Center, Taiyu Aesthetics Hall, and Chen Rende Stone Museum. You can also savor authentic turkey rice and square crackers, and enjoy events like the Flower Sea Festival and the Zhuloshan International Slow-Pitch Softball Invitational Tournament. Visitors can plan an unforgettable Chiayi New Year trip.

Further reading: Tokyo Musical Instrument Stores (Provided by Tripass Attractions)