The Introduction of Chimei Mandolin Orchestra

Mr. Wen-Long Shi, Chairman of Chi Mei Industrial Corporation, developed his love for music at a young age. He learned to play a number of musical instruments, and organized a school band during his time at Tainan Senior High School; besides playing violin, guitar, mandolin and piano, Mr. Shi also served as conductor for the orchestra during public performances. Mr. Shi bought his first mandolin in 1945. He found that it was easy to learn, and could be played solo with great enjoyment; thus began his long-standing attachment to the mandolin.

During a radio interview in the summer of 1995, Mr. Shi described the special characteristics of the mandolin, and played a short piece himself in the hope that this would help to inspire a more widespread interest in the instrument in Taiwan. On learning that Mr. Shi was hoping to promote the playing of the mandolin in Taiwan, Mr. Fu-Lung Ts'ai, who was taking part in the same radio program, recalled the time when he was studying at Ts’u You Senior High School, one of his teachers, Mr. Tzu-P’ei Yu, had organized a mandolin orchestra, and had taught many students to play the instrument to a high standard; however, no-one had carried on the work.

Mr. Yu and some of his former students had tried to get the mandolin orchestra back on its feet again, but many of the mandolins had been lost, and there were no funds available to buy new ones. Fu-Lung Ts’ai asked Mr. Yu to hunt out the recordings that had been of the mandolin orchestra at the time, and also notified Mr. Shi immediately. Mr. Shi was surprised to learn of the existence of a mandolin orchestra, given that this was an instrument that, while very popular during the period of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, had fallen out of fashion after the Second World War. After meeting with Mr. Yu, Mr. Ts’ai, Mr. Ta-Ch’eng Lee, and Mr. Fu-Chi Hsu of the Chi Mei Culture Foundation, Mr. Shi decided that the Chi Mei Culture Foundation would provide financial support for the establishment of a new 「Mandolin Orchestra」.

A group of around 20 former students of Ts’u You Senior High School, playing mandolin, guitar or harmonica, was assembled and began to practice together. Chi Mei employees and other individuals with an interest in the mandolin also began to join the new orchestra. Mr. Jung-Jao Shi was asked to order mandolin tutor books from Japan, along with plastic finger positioning boards with the scales marked on them to make it easier for beginners to learn the instrument. Bowl-back mandolins, British-style flat-back mandolins and traditional Italian mandolins were imported from overseas for use by the orchestra; orchestra members were able to pay for the instruments in installments over a period of 24 months, with no interest to pay. Mr. Fu-Chi Hsu also ordered some basic flat-back mandolins specially made by the Fu Lung Chang Musical Instrument Company. Mr. Yu hunted out the musical scores that the school orchestra had used all those years before. The following year, the Chi-Mei Mandolin Orchestra gave its first concert at the Chi Mei Museum, to an audience that included Former President Lee Teng-hui.

Mr. Yu-T'ang Chu was appointed the first Director of the Mandolin Orchestra. Mr. Fu-Chi Hsu compiled scores for around 400 folk songs and well-known classics from all over the world that would be relatively easy to learn, and at the same time, be enjoyed by audiences. The orchestra's conductors in the early years included Mr. Tzu-P'ei Yu, Mr. Yue-Han Lee, Mr. Pao-Hsing Wang, Mr. Fu-Chi Hsu, Mr. Wen-Tung Wu, and Mr. Hsin-Wei Ts'ai. During Mr. Ts'ai's tenure as conductor, the orchestra was expanded, and a more rigorous training program was implemented. This created a large mandolin orchestra of around 50 players. Mr. Masayuki Kawaguchi, a leading Japanese mandolin performer, was invited to give a master-class for the orchestra. Mr. Kawaguchi also played with the orchestra in several concerts; his involvement with the orchestra made a significant contribution towards improving the technique of its members and helping them play more effectively as a unit. Gradually, the Chi-Mei Mandolin Orchestra began to receive invitations to perform at schools, community centers and churches, and to take part in concerts organized by government agencies and charities. The sweet, clear and melodious sound of the mandolin has proved to attract public's attention; as a result, because of the Mandolin Orchestra's efforts, the mandolin has come to be much better known, and more widely played in Taiwan. The pieces played by the orchestra include folk songs from Taiwan and from other parts of the world, film music, selections from Opera, and some short pieces of classical music; the music is carefully chosen to appeal to audiences. In the last few years, the Chi-Mei Mandolin Orchestra has given many performances at Cultural Centers in counties and cities throughout Taiwan; a smaller Mandolin Chamber Orchestra has also been established to further the promotion of the mandolin.

In 2000, a set of mandolins was donated to Tainan National University of the Arts, to facilitate the establishment of a mandolin orchestra by the Department of Music. Mr. Fu-Lung Ts'ai and Mr. Masayuki Kawaguchi have provided instruction in mandolin playing technique. The students have made progress rapidly, and the University’s mandolin orchestra has shown dramatic improvement. In 2001, the Chi Mei Culture Foundation donated another set of mandolins to the students of the Luway Center in Hsinhua.

The Chi-Mei Mandolin Orchestra has now been in existence for 10 years, and has given around 55 concerts. Thanks to the encouragement provided by CHIMEI Chairman Mr. Wen-Long Shi, the guidance provided by the orchestra's successive conductors, and the promotional efforts of the orchestra’s administrative officers, the number of mandolin groups in Taiwan has risen to 10 or so, with approximately 300 members. The underlying vision is to bring the mandolin into homes, schools and local communities, where its beautiful sound can help people to relax and to achieve personal cultivation, thereby contributing to an enhancement of the quality of life of people in Taiwan.