HONG KONG–Shen Yun Performing Arts’ seven sold-out shows were cancelled in Hong Kong because the Hong Kong government denied visas to seven key production staff, including the lighting designer, the sound engineer, and the projection operator.
Yu Deng, a composer and sound engineer with Shen Yun, was one of those whose visa was denied. Deng told The Epoch Times that the intricate and harmonious interaction that a sound engineer must accomplish through coordination with a performing arts group could not possibly be accomplished by a casual replacement.
Education and Expertise
Born in Guangdong, Deng was a graduate of the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music’s Orchestral Music Department where he majored in cello. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in 1981, he joined the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist. In 1985, Deng moved to San Francisco to study for his master’s degree at the Music & Arts Institute of San Francisco. Some of Deng’s own compositions are included in the show.
Performing arts groups normally tour with their own production staff, Deng said. Sound management for a major performance goes far beyond just pushing a few keys and cannot be achieved without a profound understanding of the whole program in all its facets, he said.
Harmonious Coordination Comes from Long Term Cooperation
Deng emphasized the necessity of long-term training and long-term cooperative efforts of an entire staff to nurture a performance to perfection. The sound engineer must have a high level of music training to be able to grasp the elements of rhythm and compositional structure in order to successfully work in harmony with the rest of the production team. “That’s something that can’t be done by someone with a few decades of experience on short notice. It would be impossible,” he said, adding that one would never ask a professional basketball team to casually accept a substitute player.
Moreover, Shen Yun features an integration of Eastern and Western instruments, something that has never been done on this scale before. Reproducing this special integration to a high degree of perfection is an extremely difficult and demanding task. “Shen Yun adopts a special style of composition and produces unique sound effects which preserve both the Easter and Western elements. It is beyond description,” he added, and not something that could be easily picked up by a substitute worker.
Heavenly Culture Touches People’s Hearts
Deng said that many audience members are moved to tears by Shen Yun’s music and enter a realm where they feel free of worry. Some audience members have said that Shen Yun presents heavenly music from a heavenly culture. Such responses are due in part to the high degree of professionalism of the whole production team.
Deng was looking forward to the performances in Hong Kong, something especially meaningful to him because it is near the border of his homeland.
“We have taken this wonderful show and toured so many countries all over world, including Europe, Asia, South America, North America, and so on. We were welcomed everywhere we went. Many Chinese people living in these different areas have told us that they had never seen such a performance before.”
The People of Hong Kong Will Speak Out
Deng criticized the Hong Kong government—not only for sabotaging the shows by disbanding the production ensemble, but also for interfering with freedom of choice and expression in Hong Kong.
But he is also confident that Shen Yun will eventually perform in Hong Kong. “The people of Hong Kong care about freedom and have the guts to stand up for what they believe is right. I have confidence that they will stand up for the rights they so deserve,” he said.
Read the original Chinese article.
