(FILE)

The China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) in December staged two performances of traditional Chinese music in New York City's Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. The first, Splendor of Folk Music, featured seven orchestral works based on ancient poems and rely on traditional Chinese instruments to showcase the diversity of the Chinese folk music, said producer Xi Qiang.  

Making the journey from Beijing were the 110-piece orchestra members of traditional Chinese musical instruments, including bamboo flute master Wang Ciheng, erhu master Tang Feng, pipa masters Wu Yuxia and Zhao Cong, and konghou expert Wu Lin. In addition to traditional instruments, the performers wore traditional costumes and recited classical tales to accompany the musical selections. 

For many Chinese living in New York, the music was a reminder of the life they left behind. 

"I am so touched to listen to the music from my hometown," said concertgoer Chen Yanhua. "My family was from Guangdong Province. We came to the United States when I was a little girl. Now these music of Cantonese style has brought me back to my childhood in my hometown." 

The second performance by CNTO, Rediscover Chinese Music, weaves a story of the evolution of classical music, enhanced by innovative lighting and stage design, Qiang said. The performance featured original compositions and arrangements by CNTO Composer-in-Residence Jiang Ying. 

"This is the best performance of traditional Chinese music I have ever seen," said Yin Hua, a Chinese national living in Switzerland. Yin attended the concert as part of a visit to New York during the Christmas holiday to visit her 21-year-old daughter in the city.  

"I am very interested in traditional music. And I had seen many performances before. But this is the first time that I saw a perfect combination of traditional art and modern stage performance art," said Yin. 

Yang Fan, 32, from Jersey City, went to the Carnegie Hall concert with her family--her 3-year-old son's first visit to a formal concert hall. "I am so surprised that the boy had been totally attracted to the performance for two hours," Yang said. "The stage performance, the costumes and the grand stage design are all magnificent." 

CNTO also staged educational events at Princeton University on their U.S. tour to introduce American students to classical instruments such as the erhu, pipa, and xiao. The discovery programs drew several hundred university students and local community members. 

The orchestra is a prominent performing arts organization directly administered by China's 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 was an esteemed composer and Chairman of the Chinese Musicians' Association.  

The CNTO states its mission is the promotion and advancement of China's musical heritage. 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 attended CNTO's performances, making the group a highly influential cultural treasure.  

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. 

The group is managed by the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) and participates in CAEG's Image China, which aims to introduce traditional and contemporary Chinese performing arts to audiences around the world. Since its inception in 2009, Image China has presented works at venues across the globe, including Lincoln Center in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and performance venues in Australia and throughout Europe. 

The author is an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review