上海民族乐团成立于一九五二年，是全国最早建立的大型民族乐团，乐团拥有一支八十人的大型乐队，并设有作曲指挥、独奏、独唱三个艺术家小组。
经过五十多年的艺术实践，乐团以训练有素，配合默契和演奏精湛而著称。经常上演气势宏大的民族管弦乐合奏，以及江南丝竹、广东音乐、弹拨乐合奏等富有特色的中小型节目。乐团积累了丰富的曲目，受到中外听众的好评。乐团创作活跃，许多作品曾在“上海之春”、“上海艺术节”中获奖，并流传到海内外。
多年來，樂團薈萃了一批聲譽卓著的演奏家，並培養了許多樂壇新秀。樂團每年為學生舉行普及音樂會，為介紹民族音樂作了不懈的努力，通過電台及電視，將新的作品介紹給廣大聽眾。樂團每年為全國各地以及香港、台灣、新加坡等地的唱片公司錄製唱片和錄音帶，在國內外獲得高度評價。
乐团经常为来访的外国元首、政府首脑和艺术团体演出，每年都有艺术家到国外进行访问演出、学术交流和讲学辅导。曾出访美国、德国、日本、法国、瑞士、澳洲、新西兰等四十多个国家和地区。
Shanghai Chinese Orchestra Shanghai Chinese Orchestra is the earliest Chinese orchestra in China. It was founded in 1952. Today it is an orchestra of about 80 performers, together with the composing and conducting, solo and vocal teams.
After 50 years’ experience, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra has become a well trained orchestra with good fame in performing great orchestral works, Jiangnan and Cantonese musics etc. In the past years, the orchestra has accummulated a lot of popular works and has won many prizes in various music festivals. It has also brought up many famous virtuosi and young stars. Besides frequent performance within China, the orchestra has also made-many cultural activities in other countries allover the world.