NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Musician Kathy Shepard saw Shen Yun International Company at Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Feb. 17, and liked the opening dance Descending to the World, in which “golden rays of light fall softly on snow white clouds of a distant paradise,” according to the program.
As a musician, Ms. Shepard admired the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra. “I am also very impressed with the orchestra,” she said. She plays the banjo, piano, and bass guitar, and has worked in the music business for many years, according to her Facebook page.
The combination of Eastern instruments and a Western philharmonic orchestra was effective, in her opinion. “I think it is very, very good,” she said.
According to the Shen Yun website, “A Western philharmonic orchestra plays the foundation, while traditional Chinese instruments lead the melodies. The sound produced is uniquely pleasing to the ear. The ensemble at once expresses both the grandeur of a Western orchestra and the distinct sensibilities of China’s 5,000-year-old civilization.”
The visual innovation of an animated backdrop that interacts with the performers impressed her too, she said. “The visual thing of the running and jumping into the picture (was exciting), the backdrop is really, really good.”
Reporting by Vivian Shao and Mary Silver.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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