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[EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT]

Highlight
Aboriginal folk singer Panai, who plays at Witch House tonight, is often praised for her deep voice and soulful performances. PHOTO: COURTESY OF TAIWAN COLORS MUSIC	Aboriginal folk singer Panai (巴奈) makes an appearance tonight at Witch House in a solo acoustic performance. Of Puyuma and Amis ancestry, the Taitung native is often called the “Tracy Chapman of Taiwan” for her deep voice and soulful performances. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter is among the new wave of singers of the last decade that have brought Aboriginal folk into Taiwan’s indie mainstream with original compositions and fresh interpretations of traditional songs. Panai’s debut album from 2000, Na-Wa-Wa, earned high critical praise. Her songs were inspired by a childhood of traveling from cities to the countryside as her parents searched for employment. The singer is working on a new studio album, according to her label’s Web site. ▲ Panai solo acoustic performance at Witch House, 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei City (女巫店台北市新生南路三段56巷7號) ▲ Tonight at 9:30pm; call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org ▲ Admission is NT$300 at the door
The man behind the mask: Christian Rizzo. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DANCE FORUM	French choreographer/designer/musician Christian Rizzo is a multi-talented man, so it should come as no surprise that he finds inspiration everywhere, or that he doesn’t like to be pinned down and labeled. He also doesn’t want to have to explain too much about his newest work, How to say “Here”? — his eagerly awaited collaboration with Taipei’s own Dance Forum — because he feels the interpretation of the work is up to the viewer. “I believe in the imagination of the audience,” Rizzo said yesterday at the Experimental Theater. Part installation artwork, part dance theater, How to say “Here”?, should be viewed as the sum of its parts — the video projections, the lighting, the music and the dancing are all connected and all equally important. ▲ National Experimental Theater (實驗劇場), Taipei City ▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm ▲ All shows are sold out

Theater

The Scholar and the Executioner (秀才與劊子手) is a black comedy about feudalism, China’s imperial examination system, the lives of a scholar and an executioner, and the changing society at the end of the Qing Dynasty. As the country abolishes both the national examination system and death sentence, the scholar and executioner are forced to find new jobs. The play’s comic flavor is enhanced by hand-carved wooden masks, which are inspired by the nuo (儺) masks of Sichuan Opera and Italian commedia.

▲ National Theater, Taipei City

▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm

▲ NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing



Originally performed as part of the Taiwan Women Theater Festival, My Angel Friends (我的天使朋友), by playwright Zhang Chia-rong (張嘉容), uses the musings of four characters to examine the nature of depression.

▲ Eslite Bookstore, Tainan City (台南誠品書店), B2, 181, Changrung St Sec 1, Tainan City (台南市長榮路一段181號 B2)

▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing



Classical music

Master and NSO Series: Lu and Hough (名家與NSO的對話 — 呂紹嘉與史帝芬．賀夫) will feature the National Symphony Orchestra performing under acclaimed conductor Lu Shao-chia (呂紹嘉) and featuring piano soloist Steven Hough. The program will include Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. This is the Taiwan premiere of the latter work, which was composed in 1894. A preconcert lecture hosted by Hsing Tze-ching (邢子青) will be held at 7pm in the lobby of the National Concert Hall.

▲ Today at 7:30pm

▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City

▲ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing



Fantasy and Revolution: Ke Kang-kuo and the Taipei Civic Symphony Orchestra (何康國與市民交響樂團) will feature clarinetist Ke Kang-kuo (何康國) performing a program including Rossini’s Overture La Gazza Ladra, Verdi’s Concerto Fantasy Rigoletto for Clarinet, Saint-Saens’ Tarantella for Flute and Clarinet, Op. 6, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5 in D Minor under the baton of Lin Tien-chi (林天吉).

▲ Sunday at 3pm

▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City

▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing



Emanuel Ax Piano Recital (艾克斯鋼琴獨奏會) sees the Ukrainian pianist interpreting the music of Schubert and Liszt in a program that includes the former’s Sonata A Major, Op. 120 and Four Impromptus, Op. 142 and the latter’s Vallee d’Obermann, Sonetto del Petrarca, No. 123 and Mephisto Waltz No.1.

▲ Monday at 7:30pm

▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City

▲ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available from ERA ticketing



The King’s Singers 40th Anniversary Celebration Concerts (國王歌手40周年音樂會) see the highly regarded UK a cappella group back in Taiwan for the usual mixed program that shows off their vocal virtuosity and light touch. They will perform at the National Concert Hall in Taipei City next week.

▲ Tuesday at 7:30pm (Kaohsiung) and Wednesday at 7:30pm (Taichung)

▲ Kaohsiung’s Chih-teh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號) and Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Hsuehshi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)

▲ Tickets are NT$800 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing



Contemporary

She’s still a little bit country, and he’s still a little bit rock ’n’ roll. Donny and Marie Osmond are on a world tour, and the brother and sister duo appear in Taipei on Sunday for The Osmond’s 50th Anniversary Reunion Concert (奧斯蒙兄妹 五十週年紀念世界巡迴演唱會) at the Taipei Arena(台北小巨蛋).

▲ 2, Nanjing E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市南京東路2號)

▲ Show begins at 7:30pm

▲ Tickets are NT$800 to NT$6,000, available through ERA ticketing



Jazz Your Mind appears tonight at Sappho de Base, the current favorite late night hangout for Taipei’s jazz musicians. Tomorrow is a special fund-raiser for school children in Myanmar featuring house and deep house music from DJs Junior, Megan, Saucey, Eben Ezee and Yoshi. All proceeds go to a Myanmar orphanage. On Tuesday night, it’s a set by the Grace Jazz Trio with an open jam afterwards. Mandinga Latin Band appears on Thursday night.

▲ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Call (02) 2700-5411 (after 9pm) or visit www.sappho102.biz

▲ Performances begin at 10:30pm

▲ NT$300 on Saturday; no entrance fee other nights



Tonight at Underworld (地下社會) is the grindcore heavy metal band Ashen, followed by Triple Six (666). The music gets experimental tomorrow with DJs Sounds (In Transition), Astronuts and Viba. On Wednesday, it’s Haimianti (海棉體) and Fruit Acids (果酸).

▲ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information

▲ Live shows go from 9pm to 11pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily; closed Mondays

▲ Entrance tonight and tomorrow is NT$300 and includes one drink. Entrance on Wednesdays is NT$100. Before midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drinks are buy-one-get-one-free



Taking the stage at Bliss tonight is Kuarup Trio, a group of Brazilian-expats playing samba, bossa nova, and forro, and other styles from their home country. Tomorrow it’s Loaded, an expat rock five-piece that plays the “classic songs of yesterday, today’s Top 40 hits and even some one-hit wonders.”

▲ 148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, go to www.myspace.com/blisslivehouse

▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get one free cocktail of their choice

▲ Entrance to the bar is free; NT$200 cover for music shows

Tonight The Wall(這牆) presents DAAAAAANCE ROCK Vol. 1, a dance party of electro, nu-rave, and dance-rock sounds with DJs Kay with vocalist Kolette, Exploded (Pink) Yodas, Boogie and Tomodachi (F Dragon and Spykee Fat). [See Vinyl Word on Page 15 of today’s Taipei Times]. Tomorrow night indie-rock stars Backquarter (四分衛) play two sets. On Sunday, it’s Green!Eyes (綠色眼睛), which describes its music as having the “flavor of guitar pop and a bit of country.”

▲ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information

▲ Tonight at midnight, Tomorrow at 10pm, and Sunday at 3pm

▲ NT$250 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow, and NT$300 on Sunday; admission includes one drink



Aboriginal folk singer Panai (巴奈) performs tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow it’s indie-rock band Bear Babes (熊寶貝). On Thursday night, it’s Taiwan G3, a new trio of guitar players: award-winning fingerstyle guitarist Dong Yun-chang (董運昌), and session musicians A-Tsan (阿燦) and Wuge (五哥).

▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org for more information

▲ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sunday to Wednesday; 11am to 1am Thursday to Saturday

▲ NT$300 entrance includes one drink 

Tonight at Italian restaurant Capone’s, it’s Taipei’s most authentic funk and blues band, the Kenyatta Quintet, led by drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta, a New Orleans native. The group plays every Friday until June 27.

▲ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號). Call (02) 2773-3782 for more information

▲ 9pm to 11pm

▲ No entrance fee, dinner seating



Veteran jazz combo JEG (這個”爵士樂團) plays standards, Latin, funk, rock and fusion tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow Aboriginal musician Biung (王宏恩) plays solo, singing in both his native Bunkum language and in Mandarin. On Sunday, it’s pop pianist Chen Hsi (陳熙) and Taiwanese songstress Ting (庭竹). Monday is open-mic night.

▲ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information

▲ Shows start at 9:30pm

▲ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, and NT$350 Sunday; admission includes one free drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday



Tonight at 89K in Taichung is a roots and blues-rock set from The Rising Hedons, followed by The Doolittles, a Changhua-based expat rock band that plays all original music. The Voice Magazine Anniversary Party takes place tomorrow with funky hip-hop crew Militant Hippi and the foot-stompin’ country rock of Dirty Skies.

▲ 25 Daguan Rd, Taichung City (台中市大觀路25號). Call (04) 2381-8240 for more information

▲ 10:30pm until late

▲ NT$300 entrance includes one drink

Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill is a blues open mic, held by the Blues Society on Taiwan and hosted by Torch Pratt. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass or drums.

▲ 1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information

▲ Wednesdays from 8pm to 11pm

▲ Free admission



The Diner’s (樂子) new branch on Dunhua Road hosts The Diner Jam, an open mic every Thursday. All are welcome to participate.

▲ 6, Ln 103, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路2段103巷6號), off Anhe Road (安和路), in the lane behind Carnegie’s. Call (02) 2700-1680 or visit www.thediner.com.tw for more information

▲ Thursdays from 9:30pm to midnight

▲ Free admission



Exhibition

Parallel Times (平行時間). Charlene Shih (史筱筠) deconstructs the concept of documentary video by showing how the role of director is felt even when she or he is determined to be a mere observer.

▲ Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號). Open Mondays through Sundays from 10am to 7:30pm. Call (02) 3393-7377 for more information

▲ Until June 22

Jeng Jun-dian Solo Exhibition (鄭君殿作品2004-2008). Mostly known for his abstract works on canvas, Jeng adopts a new approach to oil painting, using cross-hatching to compose portraits, landscapes and still lifes. His simple, detached strokes, use of grids, and nuanced gradation of colors recalls the lines of traditional Chinese ink painting or neoimpressionist pointillism.

▲ Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊), B2, 243, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段243號B2). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 2775-5977 for more information

▲ Until June 15



Li Cheng-lang Solo Exhibition (當代印象派經典—2008李正郎個展). Having spent decades honing his skills on canvas, veteran painter Li masters the art of French impressionism. His latest series of landscape works show the beauty of the island captured in the nuanced layers of light and shades.

▲ Cathay United Art Center (國泰世華藝術中心), 7F, 236 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路236號7樓). Open Monday to Saturday form 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2717-0988 for more information

▲ Until June 21



The Veiling is Still Gleaming, Seemingly (那層薄膜似乎閃耀著). Wang Liang-yin’s (王亮尹) solo exhibition shows the promising young artist’s latest series of paintings that return to his favorite subject: dessert. His glossy images of cakes, ice cream and candy both attract and confuse, simultaneously pointing to the playful and avaricious sides of consumerism.

▲ AKI Gallery (也趣), 141 Mintsu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路141號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12pm to 6:30pm. Call (02) 2599-1171 for more information

▲ Until June 29



Joint Exhibition by the Animax Generation of Artists in Taiwan and China (漫—兩岸藝術家卡漫新世代聯展). Featuring works by seven young artists from Taiwan and China, the exhibition is another attempt to explore the world of animamix, an art movement that feed on the aesthetics of anime and comics.

▲ Capital Art Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Call (02) 2775-5268 for more information

▲ Until June 29