The National Symphony Youth Orchestra is to go on its first overseas tour next month.
Ninety music students from Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the US are to gather at the Miaobei Art Center in Miaoli County on July 20 to form the third edition of the youth orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), the group’s parent organization, told reporters in Taipei on Wednesday last week.
In addition to a tour of Taiwan at the end of a training course and rehearsals later this month, the youth orchestra is to perform in Singapore and Thailand, NSO music director Jun Markl said at the news conference.
Photo: CNA
The overseas tour marks a new chapter for the NSO and would enable the students to make friends and learn about other cultures as they bring Taiwan’s energy to the world with their music, he said.
Markl chose pieces that highlight solo performances to help the students gain experience, NSO executive director Lydia Wen-chen Kuo (郭玟岑) said.
The youth orchestra is one of the educational programs Markl introduced since he took over as music director in January 2022 to offer young musicians real-world experiences of working in an orchestra.
Launched in summer last year, the youth orchestra is comprised of musicians younger than 18 who are primarily selected through an audition to participate in the orchestra’s training and performances scheduled during summer and winter school vacations.
Viola player Chou Pie-en Chou (周霈恩), who is to begin senior high school after the summer, said she was nervous and excited about joining the orchestra, as it was her first time performing in the program, and the music planned for the tour was not easy.
During the tour, the orchestra is to perform Concertino Cusqueno by American composer Gabriela Lena Frank, Violin Concerto, Op. 14 by American composer Samuel Barber, Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2 by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla and Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34 by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Violinist Richard Lin (林品任), the guest musician on the NSO’s Japanese tour in May last year, is to play Barber’s piece with the youth orchestra on tour.
The “Dreams Ablaze” tour is to begin with concerts at the Miaobei Art Center in Miaoli County on Thursday next week, the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, also known as Weiwuying, on Friday next week and the National Concert Hall in Taipei on Saturday next week.
For the first of two concerts at the Conservatory Concert Hall of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore on Aug. 1, NSO acting concertmaster Teng Hao-tun (鄧皓敦) and principal flutist Anders Norell would be joined by fellow lecturer Ju May-lin (朱玫玲) and select youth orchestra members in performing chamber music.
The orchestra would perform the tour program in the second concert in Singapore on Aug. 2 and at Nakhon Pathom MACM Hall in Salaya, Thailand, on Aug. 4.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS