I am a research project manager for the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Taipei, Taiwan. I am focusing on my research on 6 successful music festivals and educational programs that are produced and/or associated with symphony orchestras around the globe. The first 3 chapters are in-depth research on the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its Tanglewood, the Saito Kinen Orchestra and its Saito Kinen Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center and its National Symphony Orchestra. The last chapter includes 3 other types of classical music festivals / music academy which are Salzburg Easter Festival, Berlin Philharmonic’s Orchestra Academy and BBC Proms. While the completely report will be kept internally as some of the organizations have requested the information to be kept private, I will make a summary of the report with the consent of each organization, which will be available on the NSO website. (May- December 2009)
News
National Symphony Orchestra
Taipei National University of the Arts Invited Speaker
I am honored to be an invited speaker for the music department at the Taipei National University of the Arts this semester. I will introduce the concept of performing arts and theater to students, and encourage them to think not solely as musicians only, but more as performing artists and more in a global way.
Date: October 12, 2009
Time: 13:10~14:50
Location: Music department at Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei Cultural Foundation
I was working as a project manager for the Taipei Culture Foundation. I was coordinating the international performing groups for Taipei Arts Festival, Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, 2010 Int’l Flora Expo (June 2009)
Please refer to Department of Cultural Affairs and Taipei Culture Portal to further explore the culture scene in Taiwan!
The Urban Scholars Program at University of Masschusetts, Boston, MA
I was teaching a theater course I created called “Speak! Act! Becase We Care!” at The Urban Scholars Program at UMass Boston, MA.
This class was a fun and highly interactive course. We explored the world of theater and social issues. We also explored the meaning of ensemble work and played “games” that relate to body, voice and movement work. Students wrote their own monologues, rehearsed and performed the monologue as a final project that touch upon social issues that affect all of our lives. The final performance was in the form of a monologue, a dance or a song.
One of my students wrote this on the Course Evaluation:
Please List the reasons why you think this class would be important for others to take?
-First, the teacher is the best one
-It helps you develop your skills in writing, speaking and performance
-It makes you know who really exist behind that skin and not to hide that person inside of you
-It helps you know how to act, speak out in so many different ways according to the situation
I miss my students and I look forward to teaching again soon!
The Orphan of Zhao
Director’s Note
by Naya Chang
I have always wanted to use theatre as a means to build a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures. Creating an onstage production can give audiences exposure to cultures that may not be familiar. Theatre has that power! I am very proud to bring a part of my culture onto the stage here at Brandeis University.
In The Orphan of Zhao, individuals struggle for justice in the face of oppression and the misuse of power. This theme recurs throughout history. Recall the lone college student who stopped a battalion of tanks in their tracks by simply standing in front of them during the 1989 massacre of Tiananmen Square. Each character that tries to save the Orphan embodies the spirit of that student.
I hope that this play forces us to reflect on the importance of human rights and what each of us deems worth fighting for. I decided to depict the violence on stage in a realistic and graphic way. Beauty coexists with violence and pain—a reality that I feel is important to confront.
I decided to make Cheng Ying, traditionally a male character, a woman in this production because I wanted to explore the strengths of motherhood. Cheng Ying’s sacrifice and burden is extraordinary. The Orphan of Zhao carries on Cheng Ying’s journey, fulfills his family’s legacy and moves on to become a great leader.
It is a humbling and wonderful experience to have a playwright and designers take my vision and create their own interpretations of it. I love that process and I think that’s what makes it theatre. My goal of building a bridge between eastern and western cultures certainly were embodied in this process with a truly talented, multi-cultural team.
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Links to the designers (photos):
Links for review and more information about the production: