| Highlight | |
 | Celebrating its third edition, the Taiwan International Children's TV and Film Festival (台灣國際兒童電視影展) is set to delight children, parents and like-minded adults with a multitude of activities this year ranging from film screenings, book and art exhibitions to workshops on puppet and children theaters and lectures by international directors. More than 105 feature, animation, documentary and short films and TV programs from over 30 countries will be screened at the Eslite Bookstore in Xinyi District (信義誠品) from April 4 to April 8.
The highlighted programs include Children as Directors, films from the Nordic countries as well as the international competition that is divided into the categories of feature, animation, documentary and TV programs and the Taiwan Award. From March 28 to April 8, the art gallery at Eslite Bookstore Dunnan Branch (敦南誠品書店) will host the Magic Garden exhibition, which displays installation, sound and light artworks created specially for young audiences by artists and art groups working at home and abroad.
▲ Tickets cost NT$50 per screening, available through ERA ticketing outlets before April 4 or at the Eslite bookstore in Xinyi District during the festival.
▲ On the Net: visit www.tictff.org.tw
▲ Eslite Xinyi Store (誠品信義店), 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號) and Eslite Bookstore Dunnan Branch (敦南誠品書店), 245, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段245號) |
Theater
The Year Monster (怪獸阿年) is a performance for the whole family. Drawing on an ancient legend about an evil spirit that roams mountainous regions around the Lunar New Year called the Year Beast (年獸), the story tells the tale of A-ping, a young boy who is sent as a sacrifice to the feared spirit. Through determination and goodwill, A-ping befriends the beast and brings good luck to his village for the New Year.
▲ Taipei City Family Theater (台北市親子劇場), 2F, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei City (台北市市府路1號2F)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and Sunday at 10:30am
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
The Diamond Sparrow (鑽石麻雀) is a children's performance by If Kids Theater (如果兒童劇團) and tells the story of a little bird that doesn't want to be ordinary. The quest to become extraordinary, however, comes with one disadvantage. In the process of becoming a famous bird, the hero loses sight of what is most important: happiness.
▲ National Taichung Library Chunghsing Concert Hall (台中市中興堂), 291-3 Chingwu Rd, Taichung City (台中市精武路291-3號)
▲ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$250 to NT$650 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Bean Theater (豆子劇團) hopes to inspire children who are afraid of the dark to come to terms with their fears by watching Don't Let the Sun Set (太陽別下山). The play tells the story of a girl who, out of fear of the dark, pursues the sun around the world and in the process meets a number of characters that help her confront her nocturnal anxieties.
▲ Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332, Chunghua E Rd Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332號)
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$700 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Happy Birthday, Maestro Lim! A Musical Journey of 80 Years (NSO向大師致敬 — 林克昌八十年音樂之旅) is an occasion for the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) to pay its respects to conductor Lim Kek-Tjiang (林克昌). Lim, who has been praised as the “Oriental Karajan,” will conduct the NSO in two concerts: one today and one next Friday featuring pianist Jenny Lin (林佳靜). The program for today includes Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 and Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74. Next week the concert program will include Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 23 and Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64. There will be a pre-concert lecture in the first floor of the National Concert Hall's lobby, half-an-hour before the concert by Peng Kuang-lin (彭廣林).
▲ Today at 7:30pm
▲ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500 and are available from NTCH ticketing
True Feeling — A Concert by the Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra (真情 — 高市國音樂會) will commence its countrywide tour in Kaohsiung. The orchestra will also perform in Taichung, Taipei and Ilan cities over the following weeks. All the concerts will be conducted by Gu Bao-wen (顧寶文) and feature soloists Pan Po-an (潘柏安) on flute and Tsai Bai-yen (蔡百彥) on cello. The program includes the world premiere of Lu Liang-hui's (盧亮輝) Moon Over Penghu for Cello and Orchestra (大提琴與樂隊《澄湖月夜》) and Wang Chih-cheng's (王志誠) Song of the Ai River for Mixed Choir and Orchestra (混聲合唱與樂隊《愛河之歌》).
▲ Sunday at 7:30pm
▲ Kaohsiung Cultural Center's Chih Teh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City, (高雄市五福一路67號)
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$500 and are available through ERA ticketing
Classical to Romantic — Beethoven (貝多芬的古典到浪漫) featuring Li Mei-wen (李美文) on piano, Chen Yu-wen (陳郁雯) on violin and Lin Min-yuan (林敏媛) on cello, consists of a program that includes Beethoven's Piano Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in E Flat Major, Op. 1 No. 1, Piano Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in D Major, Op. 70 No. 1 and Piano Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello “Kaakadu Variation,” Op. 121a.
▲ Tuesday (Kaohsiung) and Thursday (Taipei)
▲ Kaohsiung City Music Hall (高雄市音樂館), 99 Hexi Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市河西路99號) and the National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$200 and NT$300 in Kaohsiung and NT$200 to NT$500 in Taipei; tickets are available through ERA ticketing
AMA Principle Soloists Series 9 — Ming-Jian Fang Guitar Recital (亞藝首席獨奏家系列九 — 方銘健吉他獨奏會) sees Golden Melody Award-winner Ming-jian Fang (方銘健) perform a broad program of guitar works ranging from 15th-century to contemporary works. A second concert is scheduled for the National Recital Hall, Taipei City next Friday.
▲ Wednesday at 7:30
▲ National Chiao Tung University Arts Center (交通大學藝文中心), 1001 Tahsueh Rd, Hsinchu City (新竹市大學路1001號)
▲ Tickets are NT$100 and NT$200 and are available through ERA ticketing
Asia Pacific String Quartet 2008 Concert in Spring (2008亞太弦樂四重奏春季音樂會) organized by the Chamber Music of Taiwan, features Huang Wei-ming (黃維明) and Hsu Hsi-lung (徐錫隆) on violin, Chen Rui-hsien (陳瑞賢) on viola and Lu Chao-lun (呂超倫) on cello. The first concert in this series, in Taoyuan tomorrow, is already sold out, but tickets are available for concerts elsewhere.
▲ Thursday at 7:40pm
▲ Hsinchu Municipal Performance Hall (新竹市立演藝廳), 17, Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號)
▲ Tickets are NT$100 and NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Contemporary
Tonight at Underworld (地下社會), it's girl electro-clash group Go Chic and indie-electronica Space Cake (太空蛋糕). Tomorrow isn't election day at Underworld, it's electro day, with the No Election, Make Electro party featuring Digihai, Salamander (沙羅曼蛇), DJs P!tt Tang Ouch, Point, Fish and Joe Ho (何繼綱). Indie-rockers Touming Magazine (透明雜誌) and punks Angry Young Men (生氣的年輕人) perform on Wednesday.
▲ 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
▲ Bands start playing after 9pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, except Mondays
▲ Entrance tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday is NT$300 and includes one drink. Sunday is free. Before midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drinks are buy-one-get-one-free
Mando-pop/reggae singer Lisa Djaati makes an appearance tonight at The Wall (這牆). Performing tomorrow are Mr M, Uchikubigokumen Doukoukai (打首獄門同好會), the Hindsight (光景消逝) and 2side 1 Brain. Low-key post-rockers Juands of Magic play on Thursday with Cheng Pei-lung (鄭焙隆) and The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine.
▲ 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 visit www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
▲ Shows start at 8pm
▲ NT$400 tonight and NT$300 tomorrow, Sunday and Thursday. Admission includes one drink
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, the music pub hosts indie-rockers Jacuzzi and pop-rock band Relax One (輕鬆玩). On Sunday, it's Mando-pop singer Lan You-shi (藍又時) and A-pay (阿霈) frontwoman Chi Hsin-pei (季欣霈) in a solo performance to promote her new album Life (生活), which comes out next Friday. Monday is open-jam night. Folk-rock/disco/funk act The Touch and Brit-rock-influenced indie band Big Day perform on Tuesday. Indie act Wizard of Oz (綠野仙蹤) and singer/songwriter No Name play on Wednesday, and on Thursday it's singer Chuo Ting-chu (卓庭竹) and jazz combo A Funky Horn Band (夢幻星球大樂隊).
▲ 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
▲ Shows start at 9:30pm
▲ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow; NT$350 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Admission includes one free drink. There is a one-drink minimum on Monday
Funk supergroup the Money Shot Horns are making the trip up from Taichung to perform tonight at Bliss [see story above]. The Bo Po Mo Fo blues band takes to the stage at the Xinyi Road (信義路) pub tomorrow.
▲ 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 visit 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. Cover for the live music upstairs is NT$200
Folk band Smoke Ring (煙圈) appears tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Passiwali (巴西瓦里) plays tomorrow.
▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road 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
▲ 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
Folk and pop trio The Black Lung Inner City Choir (www.blacklungchoir.com) plays 89K tonight. Tomorrow it's “a power-house double bill” with The New Hong Kong Hair City (www.myspace.com/newhongkonghaircitytw) and The DoLittles (www.myspace.com/thedolittles).
▲ Tonight and tomorrow at 10pm
▲ Entrance for each night is NT$250, which includes one beer
▲ 21 Takuan Rd, Taichung City (台中市大觀路21號). Call (04) 2320-7010
Exhibition
Toyo Ito: The New “Real” in Architecture (伊東豐雄 — 衍生的秩序). Featuring hundreds of manuscripts, drawings and graphic designs of architecture creations by the world-renowned Japanese architect, the exhibition aims to give an overview of the career of the man behind the “Ito trend.” The exhibition also shows, for the first time, the three projects Ito was invited to design in Taiwan: the main stadium for 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung City; Taichung Metropolitan Opera House; and the National Taiwan University's New College of Social Science.
▲ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm; Saturday until 8:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
▲ Until May 25
Voice Inside (風景 安靜). The photo exhibition by Tseng Min-hsiung (曾敏雄) features shots of ordinary folk.
▲ Taiwan International Visual Arts Center (台灣國際視覺藝術中心), 29, Ln 45 Liaoning St, Taipei City (台北市遼寧街45巷29號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. Call (02) 2773-3347
▲ Until April 9
MOCA Studio: Silence Attacks — The Solo Exhibition by Lin Guang-ming (靜默突襲 — 林冠名個展). A series of video works that uses poetic and simple vocabularies to challenge the distinction between documentary and personal experiences of time and space.
▲ Museum of Contemporary Art (台北當代藝術館), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call (02) 2552-3720
▲ Until April 13
The Eloquence of National Taiwan Museum — A Centennial Splendor of its Architecture (百年風華 — 台灣博物館建築特展). Established in 1908 by the Japanese colonial government to commemorate the inauguration of the north-south railway, NTM is the only museum in Taiwan that was founded during the Japanese rule and still operates from its original site. To celebrate NTM's centennial, the exhibition focuses on design, style and construction as well as its past exhibitions over the last century.
▲ National Taiwan Museum (國立台灣博物館), 2 Xiangyang Rd, Taipei City (台北市襄陽路2號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Call (02) 2382-2699
▲ Until July 20
Songs for the Blue Sky — A Joint Exhibition of Contemporary Paper Cuts (剪給青空的歌 — 當代剪紙設計創作聯展). Three young paper-cutting artists — Xia Xia (夏夏), Qiu Yu-wen (邱雨玟) and Liu Yun-zhu (劉韻竹) — were invited to make paper-cut artworks based on Taiwanese folktales and poems.
▲ Dansui Historic Sites (台北縣立淡水古蹟博物館), 1, Ln 28, Zhongzheng Rd, Danshui Township, Taipei County (台北縣淡水鎮中正路28巷1號). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30am to 6pm. Call (02) 2623 1001 X229
▲ Until April 13
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