Theater
Those who missed yesterday's world premiere of The Firmiana Rain (梧桐雨) still have a chance to see the show. Billed as a modern romantic opera, the sumptuous production has all the makings of great opera with an imperial romance, palace intrigue, political upheaval and a suicide. The Taiwan-Japan joint production also features librettos in Mandarin, French and German and a Taiwanese gezai opera (歌仔戲) performer.
*National Theater, Taipei
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GODOT THEATER COMPANY
*Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
*Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,500 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Asia's agrarian societies have a rich tradition of dancing, singing and storytelling. Using a combination of dance, theater and visual art, Wang Wei-ming (王維銘), Yang Wei-chen (楊維真), and Sun Chuo-tai (孫悅泰), three stars of Taiwan's contemporary theater, draw on these traditions to each perform a solo dance. The performance, Trajectus, is part of the Taipei Arts Festival (台北藝術節).
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BLACK AND WHITE FILM STUDIO
Guling St Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
*Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
*Tickets are NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
The Vienna Boys' Choir (維也納少年合唱團慈善音樂會), one of the most famous young choral groups in the world, made up of boys aged 10 to 14, is back in Taiwan and finishing up its tour of choral classics with a performance in Taipei.
*Today and tomorrow 7:30pm
*National Concert Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are NT$1,000 to NT$2,000 for today's charity concert and NT$500 to NT$2,000 tomorrow; tickets available through NTCH ticketing
The Formosa Singers Concert (福爾摩沙合唱團96年系列音樂會之五 - 驚艷人聲) brings together Scandinavian and local folk melodies in a concert that showcases the choir's versatility and virtuosity. The program includes modern choral works such as Jaakobin Isot Pojat, Corpus Christi Carol, and Regina Caeli, as well as a number of arrangements of Taiwanese folk songs.
*Monday 7:30pm
*National Concert Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing
An Evening of Mendelssohn with Flautist Janos Balint (孟德爾頌長笛協奏曲之夜), performing with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團) under Gernot Schmalfuss. The program includes Mendelssohn's The Hebrides and Flute Concerto in E Minor.
*Thursday 7:30pm
*National Concert Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are NT$500 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing
The Everlasting Knight - In Memory of Tsao Yeong-kun (曹永坤紀念音樂會) is a concert to commemorate the contribution of Tsao, formerly the executive director of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO), who made a significant contribution to promoting classical music in Taiwan. The program includes Chiang Wen-Yeh's (江文也) Bagatelles No. 7, Epitaph Op. 8, Formosa Dance Op. 1, Hsiao Tai-ran's (蕭泰然) Please Don't Criticize Taiwan (嘸通嫌台灣), and works by Vitali, Mahler, Schubert and others.
*Sunday 2pm
*National Recital Hall, Taipei
*Tickets are NT$300, available through NTCH ticketing
Cello Recital by Chang Chen-chieh (張正傑大提琴獨奏會 - 美猴王鬧場) will include a performance by renowned Beijing opera artist Chu Lu-hao (朱陸豪) using the role of the Monkey King to provide an interpretive exposition on the contemporary cello music performed by Chang. Additional information on this project can be found at blog.yam.com/proart.
Sunday 7:30pm
*Chihshan Hall, National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
*Tickets are NT$200 to NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing
The Asian Women's Musical Ensemble (東方女子樂坊 - 新民樂最前線演奏會), an ensemble of women singers drawn from some of the best music schools in China and Taiwan. Now in its second generation, the ensemble mixes classical and modern musical skills, performing arrangements of works taken from East and West.
*Tuesday and Wednesday 7:30pm
*Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心), 1, Xinyi Rd Sec 5, Taipei (台北市信義路五段1號)
*Tickets are NT$600 to NT$2,500, available through ERA ticketing
TCO's Rendezvous with Sharon Bezaly (長笛繆斯 - Sharon Bezaly與北市國) features flautist Sharon Bezaly, the September cover girl of Flute Talk magazine. James Galway was originally scheduled to play in this concert. The program and conductor have remained unchanged.
*Thursday 7:30pm
*Zhongshan Hall, 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei (台北市延平南路98號)
*Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing
Contemporary
The Wall (這牆) hosts indie-electronica band Orange Doll (橘娃娃) and noise band Black Faith With Sonic Pace tonight. Tomorrow night is Green Scream, with metal core/emo band 831 (八三夭), Back Quarter (四分衛), 88 Guava Seeds (88顆芭樂仔) and Pink Guitar (粉紅吉他托比兔). On Wednesday, it's The Newsonghead, expat electric funk-metal band Jindown (筋斗雲) and Digihai.
*Entrance is NT400 tonight, NT$600 tomorrow and NT$300 Wednesday
*The music starts 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 log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
Real Collective jazz combo (河岸留言精選爵士四重奏) appears tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Indie-pop band Tizzy Bac return tomorrow with a musical change of pace for their Liao Liao Ba (聊聊吧) tour. Hong Kong new wave electonica act Pixel Toy visit Riverside Sunday. Monday is open-jam night. Pop/fusion combo They're Lisa (他們是力殺) performs Tuesday, along with Wing (羅文裕). Happy Circle and indie five-piece Nekojamband (妮可醬), which mixes a variety of styles from funk and blues to hard rock, take the stage Wednesday. Funk/bossa nova eight-piece Djavan and Friends and the Sea Journey Jazz Combo (海洋知音爵士樂團) plays Thursday.
*Shows start at 9:30pm
*Entrance tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday is NT$350. Tomorrow, Sunday and Thursday is NT$400. On Monday there is a one-drink minimum
*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
Underworld (地下社會) presents Frengers and Nachos (拿翹) tonight. DJ Island and indie-electroncia group Digihai (低級嗨) take the stage tomorrow. On Wednesday, it's grunge band The Capelin (柳葉魚) and expat funk quartet New Hong Kong Hair City.
*Bands start playing around 9pm. The bar is open from 8pm to 4am on weekdays, 8pm to 5am on weekends, and is closed on Mondays
*Entrance for 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.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
Indie-rocker outfit Freckle (雀斑) performs Thursday afternoon at the Xue Xue Institute (學學文創志業), part of a series of concerts by contemporary musicians held through the end of this month.
*Thursday from 12:20pm to 1pm
*Tickets are NT$350
*207, Tiding Blvd Sec 2, Neihu Dist, Taipei (台北市內湖區堤頂大道二段207號). Log on at www.xuexue.tw/events/pm/opening.html for more information and links to the online ticket vendor
Tonight at Witch House (女巫店), it's Huang Chien-wei (黃建為), whose folk debut Over the Way earned him the Best Newcomer award at this year's Golden Melodys. Natural Q (自然捲) plays tomorrow.
*Entrance is NT$300 and includes one drink
*Tonight and tomorrow at 9:30pm
*7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit www.witchhouse.org
The O-Brothaz sound system hosts Thursday Reggae Oasis every Thursday night at club Plan B. The weekly event features Caribbean food, drinks and roots reggae.
*Entrance is free and all drinks are NT$150
*9pm to 1am
*29-1, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市安和路一段29號之1). Call (02) 2775-5855 or visit www.obrothaz.com for more information
Chris Bailey's Blues Explosion plays tonight at Grooveyard in Taichung. Before that it's Salsa Night, with professional instructors who teach salsa and merengue to the tune of Cuban music. Tomorrow it's Let There Be Chaos, featuring four of Taichung's hardest-hitting bands: The Handknife Club (手刀俱樂部), Angry Young Man in Taiwan, The Seven Day Run Club and No Remorse. On Sunday, Grooveyard is hosting a new jam session. Guitarist Russel Rogers plays blues, jazz, Middle Eastern- and African-influenced music on Wednesday. Thursday is Taiwan Exposed open-mic night.
*Tonight's salsa runs from 8pm to 10pm, followed by the live music at 10pm. Tomorrow's live music runs from 7:30pm to 1:30pm. Sunday's jam session is from 7pm to 11pm. Wednesday's music starts at 10pm. Open-mic night starts at 9pm
*Grooveyard cover for the bands is NT$200 tonight and tomorrow. There's no cover Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday
*Grooveyard is located at 2F, 105 Huamei W Rd, Taichung (台中市華美西街105號2樓). Visit www.grooveyardtaiwan.com or call 0939-574-737 for more information
Organized by the Trade Office of Swiss Industries, Eliana Burki and her Funky Swiss Alphorn will take over Taipei Water Park on Sunday. Burki, born in 1983, embarked on her career in 2002 as singer. With 16 notes spread over five octaves, the alphorn is a large horn fashioned out of solid wood and usually played in a pastoral setting. The Swiss musician will play jazz standards. For more information, visit www.elianaburki.ch.
*Sunday, 1:30pm to 5pm
*Taipei Water Park (台北自來水園區), 1 Siyuan Road, Taipei (台北市思源街1號)
*Entrance is free
Exhibition
Play Mode: Fashion Designers vs Folk Artists (大玩流行：時尚設計師vs民俗藝術家). The exhibition attempts to overturn established thinking on fashion by reinterpreting Western fashion design from the perspective of traditional Chinese folk arts. Featuring works by eight folk artists in the realms of paper cutting, hand-puppet theater, Suzhou embroidery and blue and white ceramics, the exhibition shows viewers how the traditional can be used to interpret the modern.
*Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館) 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
*Until Nov. 18
Life Is [Making Being Here] (一種生活的味道). The exhibition brings the latest collections from three local fashion designers to the lifestyle boutique. The collections include conceptual designs by award-winning designer Kang Chia-wei (康嘉偉), a fall/winter collection under the theme of The Great Silent by Chang I-ping (張伊萍) and Hung Yung-ching's (洪詠晶) playful collection of bags.
*A White Crow (白烏鴉) 13, Ln 161, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市敦化南路一段161巷13號). Open Monday to Saturday from 1pm to 10pm; Sunday from 2pm and 10pm. Call (02) 2711-2947
*Until Jan. 6, 2008
An Exhibition of Micro-Carvings (毫芒微雕展). The exhibition introduces carvings in ivory and fruit pips from the Qing Dynasty to the present. As a highly specialized art form, the origin of ivory micro-carving was closely related to the common practice of inscription by scholars while the fruit-pit sculpturing achieved its artistic peak by the Ming Dynasty.
*National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2361-0270
*Until Dec. 9
The Scenery of Mind - Selected Exhibition of Richard Lin (眼不見為「境」 - 林壽宇收藏展). The rare exhibition features works by the internationally acclaimed artist who is dubbed as a master of modern minimalism.
*Jia Art Gallery (家畫廊), 1F-1, 30, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段30號1樓之1). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2591-4302
*Until Nov. 10
Endlessness Mood - Picasso Chang Photo Exhibition (無盡境 - 張宏聲攝影展). A veteran photographer, educator and juror for international photography competitions, Chang returns to his favorite themes: trees, the sky and birds. The artist has built a spiritual world based on his exploration on Taoism, humanity and the abstract.
*Pacific Cultural Foundation (太平洋文化基金會藝術中心) B1, 38, Chongching S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市重慶南路三段38號B1). Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Call (02) 2337-7155
*From tomorrow through Nov. 24
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