2023 Kinmen Tunnel Music Festival was held in Zhaishan Tunnel from October 21 to 22, attracting many music fans to cross the sea to enjoy a concert with battlefield characteristics. The Kinmen National Park Headquarters, National Park Service (the Headquarters) pointed out that this year’s Music Festival had a total of six performances, with 200 people per performance, and a total of about 1,200 spectators attending the event. It has increased tourism and recreational benefits for Kinmen, and has become the most representative music event in Kinmen.
This year, Chinese flute godfather Chen Chong-shen, Ju Percussion Group principal xylophone player Wu Pei-jing, new generation tenor Lin Yi-wei, and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra principal clarinet player Chuang Hui-chu perform together. The first day's program "The Flute Meets the Flutist" used Chinese flutes and xylophones to reinterpret the string quartet and add diverse timbres; the second day's program "Swan Song" has dialogue between clear human sound, rich emotion and the clarinet.
In the natural concert hall of Zhaishan Tunnel, the first day's performance kicked off with the debut of percussion and Chinese flute. The crisp music of the xylophone and the bright and brisk Chinese melody combined with the string quartet to create a unique movement. The magical tones of the xylophone were like glass beads falling on the water surface of the tunnel, clear and penetrating. "Bird in the Shade" played on the bangti Chinese piccolo interpreted the birdsong in a vivid and lifelike way, making the audience feel as if they were in the midst of vibrant nature.
On the second day, two pieces of "Recorder Quintet" were reinterpreted with the clarinet, and the tenor sang famous operas such as "The Starry Night" and "The Princess Stays Up All Night" with a clear and elegant voice, making the vast human voice echo in the tunnel, showing the powerful speaker effect of Zhaishan Tunnel.
This year holds special significance as it marks the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS) overseeing the Tunnel Music Festival. The festival was led by the inaugural Director General of the NPS, Chen Mao-chun, who previously served as the director of the Headquarters. Director Chen emphasized that since 2009, the music festival has persevered through challenges such as pandemics and adverse weather conditions, successfully running for 15 consecutive years and attracting over 20,000 attendees. Beyond promoting the message of peace through cultural activities, it also signifies the firm commitment of the Headquarters to revitalize and repurpose historical battle sites ever since its inception.