Taiwan's ever-popular timpani ensemble, Ju Percussion (朱宗慶打擊樂團), will be stepping out on its 2002 winter tour this weekend, when the ensemble brings its latest drum and vibraphone-loaded creation, Stained Glass (彩繪玻璃) to the capital's National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳) in the first of a series of nationwide performances.
Since its founding in 1986, the 12-piece ensemble has become a household name not only in Taiwan but also on the international scene, having held numerous performances throughout the US and Europe. While performing upwards of 100 concerts annually in Taiwan, the combo's repertoire of hard banging members is always surprisingly fresh. Be it jazz-laden vibes, re-workings of classical Chinese tunes, folk songs or children's music, Ju Percussion's creativity never ceases to delight its audiences.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JU PERCUSSION
For this year's Winter Concert series, the percussionists have selected a program that is, according to a spokesperson for the ensemble, both interesting and stylish. Along with David Gillingham's piece, Stained Glass, the ensemble will be banging its way through arrangements which include popular timpani tunes such as Brian Mason's Children of Sanchez, Michael Burritt's Doomsday Machine and Srdan Dedic's At the Party. The highlights of the season, however, are the world premieres of Taiwan composer Hung Chung-Kun's (洪崇焜) latest piece, Interaction (互動) and Three Movements for Two Marimbas (為雙木琴的三個樂章) by Hong Kong arranger Chung Yiu-Kwong (鍾耀光).
Ju Percussion will be banging nationwide from this coming Sunday at Taipei's National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳). From there the combo moves on to Taichung's Chunghsing Hall (中興堂) on Wednesday, Dec. 4, followed by the Hsinchu City Cultural Center (新竹市立演藝廳) on Friday, Dec. 13. The tour will conclude at the Tainan Arts Center (台南市立藝術中心演藝廳) on Wednesday, Dec. 18. All performances begin at 7:30pm and tickets for all shows cost between NT$300 and NT$800 and are available through Acer ticketing outlets nationwide, or direct from the venues.
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and