Despite thunderstorms in Taipei, the final round of the 2003 Nationwide Music Competition for the Disabled took place yesterday at the Chungshan Hall, showcasing the talent of 17 contestants.
Sponsored by the Po Chung Foundation and the Taiwan Music and Arts Association, children and adults struggling with the challenges presented by various disabilities performed instrumental music ranging from Mozart to Disney's Mulan.
"What I saw on stage today was more than just music. It was determination without complaint," said Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄), director of the Po Chung Foundation and KMT deputy chairman. He said that none of the performances could have been possible without the support of encouraging parents.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The competition actually began in May with nearly 200 contestants in nine different districts. There were three preliminary rounds before yesterday's final, one of which was a nationwide event. The contestants who performed at the final round came from all over Taiwan to participate, some traveling from as far as Tainan.
While the contestants came from different cities, they all shared a common love for music and a willingness to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges to perform.
Many of the contestants were blind or deaf. Others suffered from cerebral palsy and autism, among other conditions.
Eighteen-year-old Shih Ying-yen (
Another contestant, Huang Ch'eng-pin (
The Tai Chung Ch'i Ming Choir, Taiwan's first choir for the blind, also performed at the event. The evening was concluded with the awards ceremony during which the judges' decisions were announced. Wu joined the choir, singing into a microphone on stage.
"After today's performances, I don't see why we ever have reason to complain about hardship," Wu said. He also said that he found the event very touching.
Huang's mother said that watching her son perform was a truly moving experience.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
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