Take a trip through sound

The music will summon images of travel to far-flung places with tunes that cover Jewish music from Poland, Gypsy music blended with Czech folk songs, Taiwanese Aboriginal bands and the famed Macedonian singer Vanja Lazarova. Now these varied styles are being brought together under the theme of "music of migration" for a unique festival in Taipei starting Sunday.

The Migration Music Festival (流浪之歌音樂節) is an eight-day musical and cultural event that hopes to highlight the music and cultures of migratory ethnic groups through four concerts, film sessions and lectures and seminars on the relation of migratory culture and world music. Admission to all events is free.

World music fans will see similarities to the recent world music festival in Taipei, but the Migration Music Festival's specific theme is designed to generate more discussion and involvement on the part of the audience, according to organizer Trees Music and Art Association (大大樹世界音樂文化協會).

"This is the first time we can have a music festival with a specific theme. Apart from presenting the music, we hope to have a deeper and extensive exploration of the musical culture of migration," said Chung She-fong (鍾適芳) of Trees Music and Art.

"It will be a festival where people can enjoy the music, see the movies and also join discussions with international critics and music producers," she said.

A look at the history of migration in the world reveals that many ethnic musical cultures developed while in the state of migration. Changing habitat and interaction with different people helped nurture unique cultural and musical forms. This seems especially true of ethnic groups such as the Gypsies of southern Spain who created the mournful yet joyous Flamenco music and dance. Meanwhile, European Jews developed unique musical styles in their own Yiddish language. And in Taiwan, as a society based on migration, the fusion and influences of different ethnic groups is also manifested in its culture and music.

"We hope this music festival can open a window to appreciate more diverse world cultures," Chung said.

Trees Music and Art earlier this year organized a European tour for the Hakka band Labor Exchange. This time, the association intends to bring European world music back to Taiwan with the endorsement of Czech TV and the Europe Broadcasting Union.

Migration Theater

The festival will start Sunday with a screening of the Brazilian Oscar-winning movie Central Station at Eslite Bookstore at 7:30pm. On Monday, also at 7:30pm, the screening venue changes to Yungle Market on Tihua Street (迪化街) with The Straight Story, by US director David Lynch. Two films by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami will be screened at Yungkang Park at 7:30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday's movie will be Where is My Friend's Home. Wednesday's will be And Life Goes On.

Grand Stage

The highlight of the music festival is called the Grand Stage, which is a series of three concerts over three days next weekend at the outdoor stage in Ta-an Forest Park. Two shows next weekend will also take place in Kaohsiung. The concerts begin at 7pm. Some of the Eastern European groups are giving their first-ever performances in Taiwan. Performers include The Cracow Klezmer band from Poland, the Alom Gypsy band from the Czech Republic and Vanya Lazarova from Macedonia. Asian performers include Mongolian singer Urna Charhar-Tugchi and her German musician and producer husband Robert Zollitsch, Taiwanese Aboriginal singer Huegue (迴谷) with his Amis tribe band and Labor Exchange.