Excitement and joy will flood Taichung in October! The “2019 Taichung Musical Instrument” hosted by the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taichung City Government, will be unveiled on October 5 and October 6. The announcement today (September 18) shows that it is the first time that the two-day event will be moved to the City Square and the Calligraphy Greenway. In addition, the Taichung Jazz Festival will also be launched in October with ceaseless relays of music in the air. All are welcome to Taichung to share the musical good time.

A press conference for the promotion of the musical instrument festival was held at the city government building today with the presence of the Deputy Mayor Yang Chung-Ying of Taichung City. The Houli Philharmonic and Briegel Brothers ft. played the tune to warm up the conference. An oversized gramophone record was placed on a phonograph as the background design symbolizing the start of the Taichung Musical Instrument Festival.

This is the 14th musical instrument festival of Taichung. Houli was once a major producer of saxophones in its heyday and accounted for 1/3 of the global production. As such, Houli has been the venue of the musical instrument festival in the past. The government held the event at the City Square and Calligraphy Greenway this year with a view to internationalizing the event through the high tourist population of this area and to show the world the perfection of the musical instruments from Taichung, said Deputy Mayor Yang.

A contest is also prepared in the event for the music gurus including players of saxophone, flute, and jazz drum from Taiwan and other countries for performance on stage. The romantic Jazz Music Festival will also be held in October. All are welcome to Taichung!

According to the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taichung Musical Instrument Festival was held in Houli in the past since it is the place of production. With the integration of performance, contest, experience, exhibition and tourism, we wish to highlight the cultural feature of Houli and make the festival an important event of the year. October in Taichung is so comfortable particularly at the City Square and Calligraphy Greenway. For this reason, the venue of the festival was shifted from Houli to the City Square and Calligraphy Greenway. This place is also a popular tourist attraction and more people can have a touch of the cultural feature of Houli through the festival.

A main stage and smaller stages will be arranged. A series of performances will be presented by different bands and performing groups, including the Ronald Boo Hinkson of St. Lucia, the Berklee Award winner of the USA, Julian Moreen Quartet, the winner of 2017 European Jazz Contest in Rome Claudio Jr. De Rosa Quartet, the champion of the 2014 “Taichung Saxophone Competition” Woody Witt, and the best jazz music award winner of the “Gold Indie Music Awards” Vincent Hsu of Taiwan, and Cuban Jazz group Soy La Ley. They will cheer up the City Square and Calligraphy Greenway.

Other activities will be held at the smaller stage of Calligraphy Greenway, including the “Show Stage” with performance relayed by the passionate, music and show loving local musical groups of Taichung. These groups will present an earful of popular and vivid songs. The “King of Music” final contest of instrument playing will also be held with the winner announced in the same evening. Prices amounting to NT$300,000 will be awarded to the winners. The final contest includes a compulsory piece and a selective piece. The contestants will demonstrate the skill of performing on stage and their ability in impromptu skills. The organizer specially invited Mr. Hsieh Ming-Yan, the champion of the 2012 Taichung International Saxophone Competition and the best album winner of the 30th Golden Melody Awards in instruments of this year, to act as the judge in the saxophone contest. It is believed that the contest will bring the whole event into another climax.

A musical instrument bazaar will also be arranged on the scene. Musical instrument makers in Taichung will be invited to exhibit the symbolic instruments made by skilled and expert craftsmanship of the masters. People are welcome to share the joy and choose their preferred piece of instrument.
For further information on the Taichung Musical Instrument Festival, visit the official website at http://www.taichunginstruments.com.tw/
Deputy Mayor Yang, Director Wu Wei-Chi of the Bureau of Labor Affairs, Deputy Director Shih Chun-Fu of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs were present. Legislator Shen Chi-Huei also appointed a representative to the press conference.