Taiwan's Choirs: Sixty Years from Rongxing to Asia's Top Five

30-Second Overview: The starting point of choral music in Taiwan was the "Rongxing Children's Chorus" founded by Lu Quan-sheng in 1957, but its growth owes much to the symphonic tradition of the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus and the ecosystem-building of the Taiwan Choral Music Center (TCMC). From alumni groups like the TMCA Men's Chorus and the Müller Chamber Chorus sweeping European grand championships, to the O-Kai Singers stunning the world with a cappella, Taiwan has firmly secured its place among the "Top Five Choirs in Asia." Behind this choral excellence lies a complete ecosystem spanning from campus participation to international professionalism — and a moving chapter of choirs reclaiming ethnic identity amid funding shortages and political adversity.

Foundation and Legacy: From Rongxing to the Taipei Philharmonic

In 1957, musician Lu Quan-sheng and entrepreneur Gu Wei-fu founded the "Rongxing Children's Chorus," Taiwan's first private children's choir ¹. Lu insisted that the children sing his own field-collected tunes — Diu Diu Dong Zai (Tossing Copper Coins) and Yi Zhi Xiao Zi Xiao Jiu Jiu (A Bird Crying for Help) — adapting rustic folk melodies into refined choral arrangements and making choir the most widespread musical activity on Taiwanese campuses ^{1 2 3}.

From the 1950s through the 1970s, the term "choir" (合唱團) in Taiwan was closely tied to the American-imported "hot music" (熱門音樂) craze, with young people forming bands that were called "choirs" ^{4 5}. However, through the efforts of musicians like Lu Quan-sheng and Li Bao-chen, choral singing gradually shifted from popular entertainment to refined art. The Taipei Philharmonic Chorus, founded in 1972 and led by artistic director Du Hei, established Taiwan's tradition of large-scale symphonic choral performance ⁶. They premiered monumental works such as Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, and their chamber choir has toured over 30 countries, serving as a key representative of Taiwan's choral "soft power" ^{6 7}.

📝 Curator's Note

The conventional wisdom says "choir is about pursuing harmony," but in Taiwan's historical context, choral music has been more like a battle over "subjectivity." From Lu Quan-sheng insisting on singing Taiwanese folk songs during the martial law era, to Du Hei taking on Western symphonic masterworks in the resource-scarce 1980s, Taiwan's choirs have always used others' forms to sing out their own backbone.

Ecosystem Builder: TCMC and the International Music Festival

Taiwan's ability to maintain its "Top Five in Asia" status owes much to behind-the-scenes organizational champions:

• Taiwan Choral Music Center (TCMC): Founded in 2000, it serves as the "nerve center" of Taiwan's choral world. Executive director Chen Yun-hung has dedicated herself to promoting modern a cappella, teacher training, and resource sharing, introducing the art of unaccompanied vocal music to Taiwan ^{8 9}.
• Taipei International Choral Festival (TICF): Organized by the Taipei Philharmonic Culture and Education Foundation, it is Asia's most prestigious choral event. Each year it attracts top international groups to Taiwan for exchange, and its masterclasses have cultivated countless domestic conducting talents ¹⁰.

Pinnacles of International Competition: From the Olympiad to the European Grand Prix

Taiwan's choirs have moved from "participation" to "setting the standard" on the international stage:

World Choir Games (WCG)

Known as the "Choir Olympics," the WCG is the highest stage for Taiwanese groups to demonstrate their prowess. At the 2024 Games in New Zealand, nine Taiwanese groups competed and achieved a remarkable 10 gold and 3 silver medals ^{11 12}. Among them, the Puli Junior High School Chorus from the mountainous Liugui district of Kaohsiung overcame post-disaster hardships to achieve a gold medal three-peat in 2018, 2023, and 2024 ^{13 14 15}.

Going back to the 3rd World Choir Games (then called the Choir Olympics) in Bremen, Germany in 2004, Taiwanese groups had already made their mark. The TMCA Men's Chorus won the gold medal in the Men's Chamber Choir category and ranked among the world's top male choirs ^{16 17}. Additionally, the Taipei Chamber Singers also earned outstanding results at the same event, laying a solid reputation for Taiwanese choral music in Europe ¹⁸.

European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP)

This is the "Oscars" of the choral world. The Taipei Chamber Singers, led by Chen Yun-hung, won the grand championship at the Béla Bartók International Choral Competition in Hungary in 2006 and went on to represent the event at the 2007 EGP Grand Championship, marking a peak in Taiwan's choral history ^{19 20}. Furthermore, the Müller Chamber Chorus won the world gold medal in the Men's Chamber Choir category in 2016 ²¹; the TMCA Men's Chorus won the grand championship at the International Choral Competition at the Choir Olympics in 2002, where the national anthem of the Republic of China was played at the award ceremony — one of the most moving moments in Taiwan's choral history ^{16 22}.

Dignity in Song: The Flag Incident and Silent Protest

On the international stage, Taiwan's choirs frequently face political suppression. In August 2024, the Taipeiphilharmonic Chamber Choir was invited to the Cantemus International Choral Festival in Hungary, where the organizers removed the flag of the Republic of China under pressure from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs ^{23 24}. However, during the closing performance, Taipei Philharmonic members brought their own flag and unfurled it on stage, winning a standing ovation from the entire audience ^{23 24}. Similar incidents occurred at the Tokyo International Choral Competition in 2025, where Taiwanese groups were asked to remove their flags and change their name to "Chinese Taipei" ²⁵. These events reflect how Taiwan's choirs, while pursuing artistic excellence, also bear the weight of defending national dignity.

📝 Curator's Note

The flag that the Taipei Philharmonic unfurled on the Hungarian stage was a political symbol and also an artist's silent protest. When song cannot be stopped by borders, the appearance of a flag becomes an ultimate declaration of "I am here." This resilience in surviving against all odds is the core driving force behind Taiwan's choral music.

A Comprehensive Map of Indigenous Choral Music

Indigenous choral music is Taiwan's most unique cultural asset, demonstrating extraordinary vitality:

• Voices of the Land Children's Chorus (Yuan Sheng Tong Sheng He Chang Tuan): The prototype for the film Listen Before You Sing. Principal Ma Peter led Bunun children to sing in their traditional "listen-with-the-ears" harmonic style on the international stage ²⁶.
• Taiwu Ancient Ballad Transmission: Led by teacher Chamake·Falawule, dedicated to the collection and transmission of Paiwan ancient ballads, recognized with a Golden Melody Award ²⁷.
• Puzangalan Children's Chorus: A group of Paiwan children that won 5 gold medals at European music festivals in 2024 ²⁸.
• O-Kai Singers: An all-indigenous a cappella quartet blending Aboriginal music with jazz, having accumulated 55 international awards ²⁹.

Hidden Gems: The University Cradle and Local Revitalization

The vitality of Taiwan's choral scene is not limited to professional groups — it is deeply rooted in campuses and communities:

• The Cradle Role of University Choirs: The NTU Chorus and the NTNU Chorus are the most important talent pipelines for Taiwan's choral world. The NTU Chorus is currently the largest university choir in Taiwan, with over 100 performers at each concert, cultivating countless future professional conductors and singers ³⁰. The Ching Yun Chorus, formed by a group of young students passionate about choral music, has injected new vitality into Taiwan's choral scene with their fresh style and enthusiasm for Chinese choral repertoire ³¹.
• Local Revitalization and Community Identity: In rural areas such as Pingtung and Kaohsiung, choirs often become the core of community cohesion. For example, Xiaotan Elementary School, through collaboration with the community, integrates choral singing with local culture, allowing children to rediscover their attachment to their hometown through song ^{32 33}. The Jinping Elementary School Taiwan Children's Chorus brings the heavenly voices of rural areas to the world through international tours while giving back to society ³⁴.

The Soul of Contemporary Composition: Breathing Life into Taiwan's Choral Music

Taiwan's choral scene is also a space for "creation":

• Qian Nanzhang: Works such as The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Animals and Ma-Lan Girl integrate Taiwanese local elements into refined choral music ^{35 36}.
• Ran Tianhao: Dedicated to Chinese musical theater and choral arrangement; works such as The Dream Seeker are widely beloved by choirs at home and abroad ^{37 38}.
• Jin Xiwen: Composed Taiwan's first Taiwanese-language opera, Black-Bearded Ma Xie (George Leslie Mackay), elevating choral music to the heights of operatic art ³⁹.

Timeline of Major Events in Taiwan's Choral Development (1957–2026)

The Weight Behind the Beauty: A Prose Reflection on Structural Dilemmas

When we hear those near-perfect harmonies in the National Concert Hall, few of us think about the harsh realities behind this prosperity. Taiwan's choral world is caught in a peculiar disconnect: "extremely widespread participation, but extremely narrow professional pathways." This is a marathon of "burning souls." Most members of top choirs may be teachers, engineers, or civil servants by day, handling tedious office work until nightfall, when they drag their exhausted bodies into the rehearsal room. There, they drill for hours over a single pitch or resonance. While this "semi-professional" resilience is moving, it also reflects a structural dilemma in Taiwan's choral "back-end professionalization." The lack of stable professional choir pathways means most artists must constantly negotiate between reality and ideal, even self-funding competitions and crowdfunding performances ⁴².

Moreover, the shadow of politics is always present. On the international stage, Taiwanese groups frequently face unreasonable demands to remove their flags and change their names. This makes choral singing not just pure art, but a battlefield for defending dignity. Yet it is precisely this pressure of surviving against all odds that has forged the unique, resilient beauty of Taiwan's choirs. What we reclaim through song is not just precision of notes, but the gentlest yet most steadfast presence of this island on the world map.

Conclusion: Let the World Hear Taiwan

From the seed Lu Quan-sheng planted in 1957 to the complete ecosystem built by TCMC and the Taipei Philharmonic, Taiwan's choirs have walked a path from "imitation" to "defining themselves." This is a story of how this island reclaimed ethnic confidence through the human voice. Its true achievement lies not in gold medals, but in Taiwan's gentlest yet most steadfast presence on the world map.

Further Reading: Taipei Philharmonic Culture and Education Foundation ｜ Taiwan Choral Music Center (TCMC) ｜ Taipei International Choral Festival (TICF)

References