Supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and the Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, the “Whispers of Trees” music concert launches its first US tour in November, 2022. There are three performances at Benaroya Hall, Huntington Library and Torrance Cultural Arts Center, respectively on November 2, 5 and 6, 2022. This cross-collaboration by Taiwanese composer Hsuan-hung Chou and film director Zhao-yi Wei focuses on trees and consists of the conducted recording, filming, soundscaping, and music writing in Kaohsiung. It also reveals that the environment and living beings revolve around trees, forming a collective life community. The two artists will attend the post-show Q&A session in person and talk about their concept creations.
With the creation research supported by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), “Whispers of Trees” premiered at Weiwuying in 2021. Composer Chou received his master's degree in film and multimedia scoring from NYU, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He is currently composer-in-residence for Kaohsiung City Wind Orchestra and the artistic director of Six Arts Music. The works of Director Wei focus on the development of relationships and explore the cross-country, cross-ethnicity, and cross-species social relationships within the interactions between humans, objects, places, and the environment. The musicians include pianist Li-Cheng (Anna) Hung, Seattle Symphony Quintet, and TaMuLa (Taiwanese Musician in Los Angeles) and. TaMuLa was founded by Steve C. Chiu in 2017, with Taiwanese musicians who actively perform in Los Angeles. Hung holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Washington. She currently serves as a rehearsal pianist and teaching artist at the Seattle Opera.
The Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles mentions that this concert gathers many young talented Taiwanese artists in Taiwan and the United States. It is an honor to present this program that indicates the coexistence relationship between human beings and nature and also introduces Weiwuying, a theatre inspired by banyan trees, to audiences in Los Angeles. We welcome you to dream under trees together in “Whispers of Trees.”
【Ticketing information】
November 2, 2022, Wednesday / 7:30 PM / Benaroya Hall
https://jsis.washington.edu/taiwan/2022/10/04/whispersoftrees/
November 5, 2022, Saturday / 7:30 PM / Rothenberg Hall at Huntington Library
https://huntington.org/event/whispers-trees
November 6, 2022, Sunday / 2:30 PM / James R. Armstrong Theatre at Torrance Cultural Arts Center
https://torrancearts.org/show/whispers-of-trees/