In 1986 Kuo wrote his first and to date only symphony: From Tangshan to Taiwan, a Symphony in the Key of A. It gratefully recalled the life of his ancestors, who struggled to establish themselves in Taiwan and lay the Kuo family's economic foundations, eventually allowing him to pursue his passions free from concerns.
1986 年，郭芝苑寫下迄今唯一的一首交響曲〈交響曲 A 調──唐山過台灣〉，感念先祖來台打拚，奠定郭家的經濟基礎，讓他的生活能無後顧之憂。