About Rubato

Rubato Ocarina Art Ensemble (Rubato)

With a lasting passion for the ocarina and a commitment to sharing its music, Rubato is one of Taiwan’s prominent ocarina ensembles. It is also known in ocarina communities across Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, as well as Europe and North America. Rubato is among the few Taiwanese groups whose members come from outside professional music yet deliver performances of a professional standard. It was also an early team to bring ocarina performance, teaching, research and outreach together.

Founded in autumn 2006 and registered in Taipei in 2007, Rubato was the city’s first registered ocarina ensemble. The ensemble is led by 陳若儀, with 鍾育喬 serving as music director and conductor. Its ten members come from different fields. Their varied life experiences allow the group to move naturally between tradition and innovation, shaping Rubato’s distinctive character.

The ocarina has an established place in music education in Taiwan, and Rubato plays an active and important part in that work. To introduce ocarina music to a wider audience, the ensemble holds a formal concert each year, interpreting classical, contemporary, folk and popular music through the instrument. These varied styles offer listeners a fresh perspective on the ocarina. Rubato also reaches the public through different kinds of performances, bringing lively, approachable music closer to everyday life.

Rubato has given hundreds of performances at ceremonies, events, local arts programmes, charitable activities and international concerts. These include the Hongseong International Ocarina Festival in Korea, the Ebina Ocarina Festival and concerts in Koshigaya, Japan, and joint ocarina performances across Taiwan. In 2012, the ensemble won a bronze medal at an international ocarina septet competition in Korea. In September 2013, it was invited to give a dedicated concert in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The Japanese specialist magazine Ocarina (Ocarina Life Magazine) has featured Rubato’s activities on several occasions. Alongside international recognition for its performances, the ensemble has helped build connections between people through the ocarina.

“Ocarinas from Taiwan. Music without borders.” expresses the goal Rubato continues to pursue. Rooted in Taiwan, the ensemble takes an active part in the development of ocarina music around the world, working to bring the instrument into everyday life and help shape its future.