About Festival:
Origin

Chiayi – A City of Wind Bands

2023 marks the 31th Chiayi City International Band Festival (CCIBF). Throughout the years, Chiayi has been speaking to the outside world via wind bands. It is wind bands that set the city’s tone and image, both in the minds of locals and tourists. By inviting people to listen to wind music, the city government has successfully aroused their curiosity about Chiayi and wind music. Little by little, the city’s unique image has been built.

History of the CCIBF

The first student wind band in Chiayi was established in the sixth year of the Showa Period (that is, the 20th year of the Republic of China in 1931) during the Japanese Rule. Zealously embraced by the locals, wind music became popular in the region, and many more schools founded their student wind bands. In 1993, the first wind band festival was held, setting a milestone for wind music in Chiayi. In 1997, the city government invited overseas wind bands to take part for the first time, and this brought the festival to an international level. In 2000, the Asia and Pacific Band Directors’ Association Festival was held, making Chiayi known to the global wind-music community. In 2011 the city hosted the famous conference of the year of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, which drew 14 outstanding bands to take part. For this event, more than 3,000 performers and 300 musicians gathered in Chiayi, bringing the city’s musical heat and global presence to a new height. In its 30th year now, the conference has become Taiwan’s most renowned music occasion. Chiayi, once a small southern town, has transformed into a globally famous city of wind music today.

Description of CCIBF

The Chiayi City International Band Festival hosts a range of wonderful events. It not only assists wind bands home and abroad in fully expressing their culture and spirit as a major performing channel, but also presents to people memorable experiences. Other than exquisite indoor and outdoor concerts, a lively Marching Parade, and a much anticipated Evening Event, this year, there will be workshops for local bands to exchange ideas with their global counterparts, as well as wind-band campus talks for future talents. The super bands on invitation from overseas shall ring a different tone with outstanding bands from all corners of Taiwan, demonstrating a pompous, impressive musical chapter. The beautiful melody they create together shall resonate on and on at the Chiayi City International Band Festival.