The Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performed for the first time at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Rti spoke with the conductor, the violin soloist, and the composer of one of the music pieces.
The NSO and Taiwanese composer Chen Ke-chia (陳可嘉) made their debuts at the Kennedy Center with Chen’s song “Ebbs and Flows.” Chen, who has been living in the United States for more than 20 years, says to see Taiwan’s national orchestra debuting her work in the U.S. capital is a dream come true.
Jun Märkl, who conducted the song, was also very pleased with NSO’s performance at the Kennedy Center, which provides the large space for Chen’s piece to connect with the audience. Märkl adds that he plans to bring the piece to other orchestras to perform, He thinks that it will be appreciated in many U.S. orchestras.
The Kennedy Center performance also included a rendition of “Scottish Fantasy” by Max Bruch, led by violin soloist Paul Huang (黃俊文). Huang says this piece is a great example of why people describe music as the universal language. Huang told Rti that despite being a German composer who had never visited Scotland, Bruch had written one of the most celebrated pieces incorporating Scottish tunes. He adds that it is being performed by Taiwanese musicians, showing that music has no boundaries.
The NSO will finish their U.S. tour with performances in New York on April 21 and Chicago on April 23, before beginning a short run of dates in Japan.