World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) is next month to give his first live performance since February in Taipei, after health authorities approved a shortened quarantine plan for the musician, organizers said on Friday.
Ma was originally to perform in Taiwan in March as part of “The Bach Project” tour he started in August 2018, but his visit was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is to begin his tour with a solo performance at the Taipei Music Center on Nov. 10, local promoter Management of New Arts (MNA) said after the government approved a seven-day quarantine period for the virtuoso.
While the majority of people entering Taiwan must quarantine for 14 days, business travelers from territories deemed to be at lower risk of COVID-19 can apply for a shortened quarantine of five to seven days.
Applicants must present on arrival proof of a negative test for COVID-19 performed within three days before their departure, and be tested again at the end of the quarantine period.
Ma would also be required to engage in “self-health management” — wearing a mask when needed and checking his temperature daily — for seven days before he arrives in Taiwan on Nov. 2 on a chartered flight.
According to his Web site, Ma aimed to explore “how culture connects us” during the 36-city tour across six continents by performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s six suites for solo cello.
The tour was disrupted after Ma performed in Dakar on Feb. 25, and the rearranged performance in Taipei would be his first since then, MNA said.
Following his recital in Taipei, British pianist Kathryn Stott is to join Ma for four performances across Taiwan.
They are to perform at the Tainan Cultural Center on Nov. 11, National Taichung Theater on Nov. 13, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts on Nov. 14 and National Concert Hall in Taipei on Nov. 15, the promoter said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS