“Melodies” and mid-autumn festival highlight Asian residency
Internationally acclaimed Taiwanese musicians Kuan-Yun Huang and Chen-Lin Ma will headline a series of performances during a month-long residency at Hanover College to promote Asian culture and heritage.
Huang has more than 20 years of experience in violin performance and music education. He is founder and director of The Voice of Strings Ensemble and the concertmaster of the Orchestra of National Taichung University of Education. Ma is a professional piano accompanist and instructor in piano, flute and music theory. She is director of Ma Music Studios and a principal flutist in the Dadaocheng Night Orchestra.
Huang and Ma will reside in the local community through Oct. 10, teaching local college, high school and elementary students about contemporary Taiwanese history and cultural identity through music, folklore and popular songs. The performers will also entertain residents in area retirement communities and present three public concerts in the region during their residency.
The musicians will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9, at the Red Bicycle Hall in downtown Madison, Ind. The presentation, “Melodies of Taiwan: Island Memories in Song,” highlights iconic Taiwanese songs from the 1930s, including “Moon Night Sorrow.” Guided listening, audience interaction and sing-alongs will demonstrate how the lyrics and meaning of the song changed from Japanese colonial rule to martial law during the postwar era and its latest iteration in the era of democracy. Admission is free but reservations are encouraged.
“MELODIES OF TAIWAN” RESERVATIONS
A Mid-Autumn Night Market Festival will precede the concert. The event, created to celebrate Asian culture and promote local Asian-American family-owned businesses, will run from 6-8 p.m. in East Fountain Alley between West Street and Third Street (adjacent to the Red Bicycle Hall). The festival will feature music, activities and food from local eateries.
The concert and accompanying night market are sponsored by the Hanover Enrichment Series, Madison Performing Arts Foundation and the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office of Chicago.
While on campus during the residency, Huang and Ma will work with a core group of students each week in Hanover’s “History of China” course. These students will learn about Taiwan’s history and cultural identity through experiential learning with instruments, songs, dance and dramas. Along with reading and discussing scholarly perspectives on Taiwan, students will collaborate with Huang and Ma as volunteers and performers during their concerts for the public and community engagement events with senior living communities and schools. In addition, the musicians will also meet with the College’s faculty in music and theatre to conduct guided listening activities and instrumental exhibitions.
Huang and Ma will also make two appearances in Louisville, Ky., during their Hanover residency. The musicians will perform Saturday, Sept. 26, during the Asian Night Market at Fourth Street Live! (held 5-10 p.m.) and at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Filson Historical Society.
The residency is made possible by a grant through ASIANetwork, a non-profit consortium of more than 150 North American liberal arts colleges dedicated to strengthening the role of Asian studies in undergraduate education. The Louisville Orchestra and Asia Institute Crane House are sponsors of the Kentucky appearances.
Hero image courtesy Lifestyle Asia
