On Oct. 31, the National Concert Hall and the National Theater will turn 15. At a press conference last Tuesday, Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Foundation director Ju Jung-ching
Ju, the director of Taiwan's most highly regarded percussion ensemble who took over management of the National Theater and Concert Hall last year, said that an important aim of the nation's premier performance venues was to bring down the entry barrier for the appreciation of the arts. "It is for this reason that we have brought in corporate sponsorship for some events," he said, pointing primarily to the Jose Cura and Kathleen Battle recitals in November, where premium seats will be available for only NT$2,500 and prices going as low as NT$400. The event is being sponsored by the Delta Foundation (
Saying that he did not want to upset proceedings, he gained vocal support from an audience that included many of Taiwan's top performers when he pointed out that the corporate support that the CKS Cultural Foundation was so loudly promoting was only going to high-profile classical music concerts, with absolutely nothing for drama. Although ticket sales for The Aurora Borealis (
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
In line with lowering the entry barrier for people who might not generally be regular theater-goers, a number of big shows have been scheduled for outdoor spaces around the theater and concert hall. This will include a massive outdoor performance of ketsai opera by the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company (明華園). Chen Sheng-fu (陳勝福), the president of Ming Hwa Yuan, promised to draw 200,000 for a free outdoor concert scheduled for Oct. 31, in a display of bravado that is well backed up by the company's strong commercial record. Overall, for indoor performances, CKS public relations chief Liu Jia-yu (劉家渝) said that there were at total of 120,000 tickets to be sold for the three month season of 107 performances.
In addition to Jose Cura and Kathleen Battle, the other major imported acts include a visit by cello virtuoso Misoslav Rostropovich (Sept. 7), the first and third groups of the Nederlands Dans Theater (Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 25-27) and the Choir of Westminster Abbey (Oct. 27). High-profile local premiers include Smoke by the Cloud Gate Theater and in the minor league, the launch of the Zhu Lu-hao Traditional Chinese Theater Company (朱陸豪京劇團), in which famed comedian Sung Shao-ching (宋少卿) in what is being billed as "new Chinese comic opera" (Oct. 17-20) and She is Walking, She is Smiling, by Performance Workshop directed by Chin Shih-jie (金士傑). On the music front, the National Symphony Orchestra, under Chien Wen-bin, will perform the complete Beethoven symphonies and piano concerti in five concerts in September.
Tickets are already on sale, and for the major events are selling well. More information about events can be found on the Web at http://www.ntch.edu.tw.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
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