Chen Yu-chia Wins International Chinese Orchestra Conducting Competition, Marathon Training Cultivates Mindset

(Central News Agency, reporter Zhao Jing-yu, Taipei, July 6) With his solid and stable conducting experience, Taiwanese young conductor Chen Yu-chia has emerged victorious, winning the championship at the 5th International Chinese Orchestra Conducting Competition. Chen Yu-chia stated that "believing in oneself" is very important. Practicing martial arts as a child and running marathons later in life have been his infallible methods for cultivating willpower and endurance.

In an exclusive interview with CNA, Chen Yu-chia said, "Music is a way to explore the soul. Winning the championship is great, but what I care about most is whether I can achieve a spiritual resonance with the orchestra members when I stand in front of them."

Chen Yu-chia stated that his biggest takeaway from participating in the International Chinese Orchestra Conducting Competition hosted by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra was learning to "believe in myself." He approached the stage with respect for tradition, simply aiming to perform the well-prepared music to the best of his ability. "I learned to believe that I was very well-prepared for the eight competition pieces, and that I could grasp the essence of every note, allowing myself to enjoy the moment on stage."

Reflecting on the competition, Chen Yu-chia said that during the finals, when he conducted the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the musicians' responses were extremely quick. "Usually, the moment the conductor gives the initial cue, the outcome is clear within the first 10 seconds." Chen Yu-chia described the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra as a famous painting with a clear outline. "The conductor's task is to add embellishments to this outline to make it more beautiful, not to erase the outline and start over. If you erase it and start over, then you're finished."

Chen Yu-chia was active from a young age. His cousin played the yangqin, his brother played the pipa, and his mother casually enrolled him in a Chinese orchestra. He chose the erhu in third grade and continued through the seven-year integrated program in Chinese Music at Tainan National University of the Arts, with a minor in conducting. He later graduated from the Graduate Institute of Music at National Taipei University of Education. Chen Yu-chia studied martial arts as a child. "The balance of movement and stillness, and the control cultivated through martial arts, greatly influenced my later physical development and musical imagination."

Chen Yu-chia said that the most difficult part of the competition was the "error correction" segment. "That was the biggest challenge." Chen Yu-chia said that the actual time from receiving the score to rehearsing and correcting errors on stage was less than two days. Under immense pressure, Chen Yu-chia successfully identified 4 out of 6 pre-planted score errors. "Error correction is like a magnifying glass; when you focus too much on details, you often miss other things. It's about maintaining a calm state of mind, performing as naturally as in daily rehearsals."

Throughout his journey, Chen Yu-chia said he encountered many conductors and teachers who selflessly guided him, from Professor Ou Kwang-hung and the late Professor Gu Bao-wen to Professor Wang Ya-hui later on. Under Taiwan's "practical and hands-on" training education, he became accustomed to memorizing scores, going on stage, and facing the immediate challenges of the orchestra early on. "I also want to thank Maestro Lü Shao-chia's conducting masterclass and the NCO's Maestro Yan Huichang's masterclass, both of which were very rewarding."

Currently, in addition to serving as a guest conductor, Chen Yu-chia continues to be a contracted erhu member of the National Chinese Orchestra (NCO), maintaining a performer's perspective to deepen his musical understanding. Outside of work, Chen Yu-chia also participates in marathons. "Marathons are my mobile meditation; while maintaining a steady pace, my brain constantly filters out noise and continues to sketch out the shape of the music."

Having won his first conducting competition championship, Chen Yu-chia's musical marathon will not stop here. "The path of music is very arduous, and the income is unstable. To maintain passive income for living so I can focus on studying scores, I will invest the prize money after taxes." In the future, Chen Yu-chia will continue to learn and participate in international conducting competitions, injecting more energy from the new generation into modern Chinese music. (Editor: Zhang Ming-kun) 1150706

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