CHINESE MUSIC BY ORGANISED GROUPS IN VICTORIA BETWEEN 1949-1995

There have been many Chinese musical and theatrical organisations in Melbourne during the period from 1949 to the present, especially in the years from the late 1980s. Prominent groups are the Chinese Song and Dance Ensemble (Zhonghua Gewutuan ), the Australian Chinese Opera Association (Zhongguo Xiju Xiehui), the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group, the Chao Feng (Zhaofeng) Chinese Orchestra, established in the early 1980s, and the Australian Chinese Music Ensemble. In this article, I shall examine the history and activities of three groups: The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group, The Chao Feng Chinese Orchestra, and the Australian Chinese Music Ensemble. I believe that these three groups are representative of the development of organised Chinese music in the period from 1949.

• The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group
  
• The Chao Feng Chinese Orchestra
  
• The Australian Chinese Music Ensemble

Wang Zheng Ting can be contacted at wangzhengting@hotmail.com