中央民族樂團，1960年2月16日在北京創建，其建制包括合唱隊、民族管弦樂隊、編創室等，首任團長為李煥之，首任指揮為秦鵬章等。民族樂隊的編制多達90人，藝術家們搜集、學習了幾十種民間音樂，並將這些原生態藝術進行加工、整理、改編再創作，演奏上能掌握「江南絲竹」、「廣東音樂」、「河北吹歌」、「蘇南吹打」、「西安鼓樂」及各種地方性鑼鼓樂，又能演奏大型民族器樂合奏；其合唱隊擅演現代及改編的中國古典作品及民間歌曲改編的合唱曲等。1983年，經院團改革，先後由劉文金、趙詠山等任藝術總監，指揮主要為閻惠昌、韋俊、劉沙等。歷任團長為唐榮枚、劉文金、俞松林、顧夏剛、席強，現任團長為趙聰。多年來樂團又擁有一批具卓越成就和影響力的藝術家，如：王鐵錘、王次恒、寧保生、王慧中、朱家明、李光才、吳玉霞、周耀錕、唐峰、張鑫華、魏育茹、朱嘯林……等。該團的國際文化交流活動遍佈世界三十餘個國家和地區，走遍世界五大洲作經常性的文化交流演出活動。中央民族樂團在向民間音樂學習的基礎上，創作改編了既有民族特色，又反映時代精神的優秀作品2000多首，豐富了樂團曲目庫，推動了民族音樂創作。又發起成立「中國民族音樂普及推廣中心」，入駐國家公共文化雲，向廣大人民群眾傳播中國優秀民族音樂文化。
The China National Traditional Orchestra was established on February 16, 1960, in Beijing. Its organization includes a choir, a traditional orchestra, and a composition section. The first director was LI Huan-zhi, and the first conductor was QIN Peng-zhang, among others. The traditional orchestra had a formation of up to 90 musicians. The artists collected and learned dozens of folk music genres, and they processed, organized, adapted, and created new works based on these authentic artistic expressions. They were able to perform various regional instrumental ensembles, such as “Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music”, “Guangdong Music”, “Hebei Wind Music”, “Suzhou-Nanjing Wind and Percussion”, “Xi’an Drum Music” as well as various local percussion-music. They were also capable of performing large traditional instrumental orchestra new pieces. The choir excelled in performing modern and adapted Chinese classical works, as well as choral adaptations of folk songs.
In 1983, through institutional reforms, LIU Wen-jin, ZHAO Yong-shan, and others served as artistic directors, while YAN Hui-chang, WEI Jun, LIU Sha and others were the main conductors. The position of director has been held by TANG Rong-mei, LIU Wen-jin, YU Song-lin, GU Xia-gang, XIE Qiang, and the current director is ZHAO Cong. Over the years, the orchestra has also had a group of outstanding artists who have achieved remarkable accomplishments and influence, such as WANG Tie-chui, WANG Ci-heng, NING Bao-sheng, WANG Hui-zhong, ZHU Jia-ming, LI Guang-cai, WU Yu-xia, ZHOU Yao-kun, TANG Feng, ZHANG Xin-hua, WEI Yu-ru, ZHU Xiao-lin, and others.
The orchestra’s international cultural exchange activities have spanned more than 30 countries and regions worldwide, covering all five continents with regular cultural exchange performances. Based on the foundation of learning from folk music, the China National Traditional Orchestra has composed and adapted over 2,000 outstanding works that reflect both the traditional characteristics and the spirit of the times, enriching its repertoire and promoting the creation of traditional music. They have also initiated the establishment of the “China Traditional Music Popularization and Promotion Center,” which is located in the National Public Cultural Cloud, and aims to disseminate China’s excellent traditional music culture to the general public.