Theater
Whispers at a Tombstone (青塚前的對話) by the National Guoguang Opera Company (國光劇團). This opera tells the story of two women that are forced to leave their hometowns at different periods in history. The opera is structured around the dialogue that might ensue if these women were to meet across time. With an updated script and superbly directed by Li Xiao-ping (李小平), the sadness of the women's voices should resonate with anyone that has been forced to leave their homeland.
* Experimental Theater (國家戲劇院實驗劇場), 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei (台北市中山南路21-1號)
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI ARTIST VILLAGE
* Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Tickets are NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing
White Snake (白水) is the story of a white snake that transforms herself into a young woman because she falls in love with a young man. With a script originally written by Tian Chi-yuan (田啟元), this updated version by the Tainaner Ensemble (台南人劇團) incorporates song with words into an entertaining and satisfying whole.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FORMOSA COMPANY
* National Center for Traditional Arts (NCTA, 國立傳統藝術中心), 201 Wubin Rd Sec 2, Wuchieh Township, Ilan County (宜蘭縣五結鄉五濱路二段201號)
* Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
* Admission is free
Mind Compass (五色羅盤) by the Tai-Gu Tales Dance Theater (太古舞蹈團). A blend of dance, music, installation art, light show and fashion show. A single piece that runs for 75 minutes featuring dancer Wang Juo-mei (王若湄), the show is an exploration of the sources of life.
* National Experimental Theater, Taipei
* Wednesday through to Dec. 23
* Tickets are NT$350 to NT$500 through NTCH ticketing
Events
Chinese Ice Hockey League (CIHL) The puck drops at 7:20pm for week 5 when the first-place Lions square off against the third-place Bears. Then the Raptors will take on the slumping Rhinos at 8:40pm followed by the second-place Tigers vs the Wolves. Though the games may be hot, the rink will be cool so dress warmly.
* Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋), 2 Nanjing E Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市南京東路四段2號)
* Sunday morning game at 11am; night games begin at 7:20pm
* Admission is free
The staff of literary journal Pressed are seeking performers for Word Alive, an open-mic event featuring poetry readings, performance art and comedy that will be held at The Grooveyard in Taichung at 7pm on Saturday, Jan. 13. Pressed is also seeking submissions for its next issue. The deadline is Jan. 15. For more information, send an e-mail to pressed_literature@yahoo.com.
Classical Music
The Ukrainian Children's Choir of Odessa (烏克蘭兒童合唱團). The choir has given a series of performances in Hsinchu, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Changhua over the past weeks, and it will give its last two concerts in Chungli tonight and Taipei County tomorrow before its Taiwan tour ends. Established in 1981 with children between 10 and 18 years old, the choir has been very popular throughout the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. The choir's Taiwan tour will feature 30 singers and present a program that includes various Ukrainian folk songs, Orthodox Church chants, Christmas carols and classical masterpieces.
* Tonight at the Chungli Arts Center (中壢藝術館音樂廳), 16 Chungmei Rd, Chungli City (中壢市中美路16號), and tomorrow at the Taipei County Arts Center (台北縣藝文中心), 62 Jhuangjing Rd, Banciao City, Taipei County (台北縣板橋市莊敬路62號)
* All tickets range from NT$300 to NT$600. Tickets can be purchased through NTCH ticketing.
* Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
National Symphony Orchestra's (NSO) Richard Strauss Cycle 4 — Don Quixote (國家交響樂團發現理查史特勞斯系列4—唐吉訶德). Guest conductor Michiyoshi Inoue (井上道義) will introduce a palette of Strauss' rarely performed works, including Japanische Festmusik, Op.84, Sextet from opera "Capriccio," Op.85, Schlagoberswalzer, and Don Quixote, Op.35 in Changhua tonight and in Taipei on Sunday. Presenting cellist Pieter Wispelwey and NSO's principal violist Grace Huang (黃瑞儀), both string masters of diverse vast repertoires, as soloists, the concert will feature Richard Strauss' tone poem Don Quixote. A pre-concert talk will be held in the lobby of the National Concert Hall in Taipei 30 minutes prior to the concert.
* Tonight at the Yuanlin Performance Hall (員林演藝廳), 99, Ln 2, Chungcheng Rd, Yuanlin Township, Changhua County. (彰化縣員林鎮中正路2巷99號), and Sunday at the National Concert Hall, Taipei
* As of press time, NT$1,000 tickets are sold out for the Changhua concert, but seats are still available from NT$200 to NT$800. For the Taipei concert, tickets range from NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
* Tonight at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
2006 Taiwan Connection Mozart Festival — The Concert with Chamber Orchestra II (莫札特音樂節—晚期莫札特). Under the direction of Music Director Hu Naiyuan (胡乃元), the concert tour will feature violinist Hu, pianist Fou Tsong (傅聰), and other young Taiwanese instrumentalists. Joined by the Academy of Taiwan Strings (台灣絃樂團), Taiwan Connection will give the last of a series of four performances in Taipei tomorrow. The Concert will present Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546, Piano Concerto in F Major, K.459, Piano Concerto in B-flat Major, K.595, and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K.525.
* At the Novel Hall (新舞臺), 3-1 Sungshou Rd, Taipei (台北市松壽路3-1號)
* As of press time seats are still available from NT$800 to NT$2,000 through ERA ticketing
* Tomorrow at 7:30pm
Yen Chun-chieh Piano Recital — Liebestod (嚴俊傑鋼琴獨奏會—愛之死). Taiwanese piano prodigy Yen began playing the piano at age five. At a prominence as Taiwan's foremost young pianist of international caliber, 23-year-old Yen has established himself as a prominent soloist. He came into sharp focus in 1997, when he won third prize at the third Tchaikovsky International Music Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. A program of work will conclude Liszt's Ballad No.2, Busoni's Sonatine No.6 "Super Carmen" BV284, Prokofiev's "The Young Juliet," "The Montagues and Capulets," "Mercutio," and "Romeo Bids Juliet Farewell" from Romeo and Juliet, Op.75, Wagner-Liszt's "Liebestod" from Tristan and Isolde, Mozart's Rondo in A minor, K.511, Rachmaninov's Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, Op.36 (1931 version).
* At the Ilan Performing Arts Center of the Ilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau (宜蘭縣文化局演藝廳), 482 Chungshan Rd Sec 2, Ilan City (宜蘭市中山路二段482號)
* Free admission. Tickets can be obtained free of charge from the organizer at (02) 2752-3711 or (02) 2930-3927
* Sunday at 7:30pm
Contemporary
The Wall (這牆) presents 13 (拾參) tonight. Tomorrow it's US band Plus Minus, with Mools and Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi from Japan. Sunday features indie Japanese musicians Aonami, Inuyama, Cow'p and DJ Skyfish. Electric Q, Red Flowers (紅花) and Tuna Belly (鮪魚肚) play Thursday.
* Entrance for tonight show is NT$400. Tomorrow's is NT$700. Sunday's and Thursday's shows are NT$300.
* Tonight's performance starts at 8:30pm. Tomorrow's starts at 7:30pm. Sunday's and Thursday's shows start at 8pm
* B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or visit www.the-wall.com.tw
Riverside Music Cafe (河岸留言) presents jazz band Delta on the Main Street tonight, popular "artsy" alt-rock band tomorrow, and Orange Grass (橙草) with What Mulan (花木蘭) Sunday. Monday night is open jam night, when anyone with an instrument can jam with other artists and play a short set on stage. Thursday it's Tokyo band Mondialito and They're Lisa (他們是力殺).
* All shows begin at 9:30pm, except Thursday's, which starts at 9pm
* Entrance for tonight's and tomorrow's shows is NT$350. Sunday's is NT$300. There is a one-drink minimum but no cover charge Monday. Thursday is NT$350
* B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1). Call (02) 2368-7310, or visit www.riverside.com.tw
Witch House (女巫店) presents popular rock band Tizzy Bac in an acoustic set tonight. Tomorrow it's indie Aboriginal rock with Samingad (紀曉君) and Ji Jia-Ying (紀家盈) and A Minor Band (AM合唱團).
* Entrance for all shows is NT$300
* Tonight at 9:30pm
* 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362- 5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
Tonight at Velvet Underground, Ms will play rock, pop, rap bossa nova, folk and smooth jazz, followed by Open Smile (開口笑).
* Bands take the stage at 9pm
* Entrance is NT$300 (students NT$200)
* B1, 50 Zhongxiao W Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市忠孝西路一段50號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 or visit www.velvet-underground.com.tw
The Living Room (小客廳) features PX (西遊記) and Lily C tonight. David Foster and Lost in Vega (恍神織女樂團) play tomorrow. Tuesday it's Chit Chat Game Night with board games, and on Wednesday it's "The Buzz" (嘰哩呱啦美語聚樂會) a weekly language club for anyone who wants to practice and improve their English. Thursday it's Fighting Boys and Elisa (一粒沙樂團), followed by Question Mark Theater (小客廳劇場?Theater) with Nagano Masataka.
* Tonight's performances begin at 10pm, tomorrow's starts at 9pm. Tuesday's fun and games begin at 7pm. Thursday's concert starts at 8pm, followed by theater at 10pm
* Entrance for tonight is NT$300. There is no admission fee on Tuesday. Thursday night is NT$300 for the concert and NT$100 for the theater
* 3F, 8 Nanjing E Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市南京東路五段8號3樓). Call (02) 8787-4154 or visit www.livingroomtaipei.com
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會) it's Golden Melody award-winning protest singer Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥), formerly of the Labor Exchange band (交工樂隊) and Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake perform music from their new album Planting Trees (種樹). Tomorrow it's Fen (粉樂隊) and "primitive noise rock" band Special Friends.
* Both performances start at 9pm
* Entrance for both shows is NT$300
* B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.underworld-taipei.blogspot.com for more information
Grooveyard presents Taichung-based indie rock band Spybots tonight, and Red-l and The Rhythm Outlaws tomorrow. Wednesday is jazz night. Thursday it's "Taiwan Exposed Open-Mic Night," a jam session for established and amateur musicians.
* Tonight and tomorrow's shows begin at 9:30pm. Wednesday's jazz and Thursday's jam session start at 9pm
* Entrance for tonight is NT$100 with a happy hour from 8pm to 10pm, for tomorrow it's NT$100 before 10pm and NT$200 after. There's no cover on Wednesday and Thursday
* 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號2樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com
Exhibitions
Hsia Yang: Solo Exhibition (夏陽個展). An internationally acclaimed painter who since the 1950s has drawn inspiration from Chinese mythology and paper cutting to blend Western and Eastern aesthetics.
* Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊), B2, 245 Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段245號B2). Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 2775-5977
* Until Dec. 30
A Retrospective Exhibition on Georges Mathieu (法國國寶級大師Georges Mathieu抒情抽象繪畫回顧展). Featuring over 20 paintings by the French master made from 1957 to 1979, the exhibition introduces the leading figure of abstractionism to local audiences for the first time. The father of lyrical abstraction, Mathieu is considered one of the great masters of the 20th century.
* Galerie Elegance Taipei (愛力根畫廊), 48 Yixian Rd, Taipei (台北市逸仙路48號). Open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 2758-1038
* From tomorrow through Dec. 31
Museum Exposition 2006 (2006博物館博覽會). With participations from about 20 local museums, libraries and universities, the expo aims to bring museums closer to the general public and attract young people with lively and interactive presentations and shows. The displays are divided into five themes: cultural and historical relics, Taiwan's ecological systems, Austronesian culture and science and technology.
* Huashan Cultural Park (華山文化園區), 1 Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2392-6180
* From tomorrow through Dec. 24
Best of Times — The Solo Exhibition of Red Capsule (美好時光－紅膠囊個展). A well-know designer and artist who spans different media, Red Capsule creates a glamorous style in this exhibition featuring paintings, comics and other forms of art. The young artist describes his works by saying, "creating art is like playing and having fun. I complete works at the best of times and they are like my lovely children."
* Capital Arts Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343 Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Call (02) 2775-5268
* Until Dec. 31
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