Cultural Identity within the Chinese Community in Toronto Examined Through the Chinese Orchestra - A Study on the Toronto Chinese Orchestra

Ethnic Chinese comprise the second largest visible minority group in Canada, making up 21% of Canada’s visible minority population and 4% of its total population (StatsCan 2011). They consistently rank as one of the three largest groups immigrating into Canada. According to the national household survey taken in 2011, over 70% of all Chinese Canadians live in two cities (40.1% in Toronto and 31.1% in Vancouver) (Ibid. 16). Despite their large population and a field of literature on the topic of Chinese Canadians, there is surprisingly little written on their musical activity. Similarly, research on Chinese diasporic music is also limited despite the prevalence of studies on the Chinese diaspora and Chinese music individually. This major research paper will look at the cultural identities in the Chinese community in Toronto through the development of its Chinese orchestral activities. The paper will examine specifically the identity of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra, the longest running Chinese orchestra in Canada and the largest in Ontario. The paper will comprise of three main sections:

1. Overview of the history and development of the modern Chinese orchestra as a vehicle to express cultural identity within the Chinese ethnicity in the twentieth century
2. Overview of the history and development of the Chinese orchestra in Toronto in relation to Chinese migration
3. Analysis on the cultural identity of Toronto Chinese Orchestra, based on its activities and repertoire