WASHINGTON—In his own words, listening to Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra was a phenomenal experience for Talen Schupp, a student of Chinese history.
“Oh, my heart was going; it was wonderful,” said Mr. Schupp. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was a very good feeling.”
New York-based Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra company put on a performance at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Wednesday night as its second to last concert before a final one in Chicago on Oct. 29. This would bring to a conclusion the symphony orchestra’s global tour which covered Asia and North America starting in September.
This was Mr. Schupp’s first encounter with Shen Yun, and he said he would be coming back for the company’s future performances. The fact that the orchestra masterfully blends traditional Chinese instruments with a Western classical orchestra was intriguing to Mr. Schupp.
“I think it’s great, because I’m studying Chinese history—it’s great to see a blending of the West and the East,” he said.
“I particularly enjoyed the traditional instruments. It was lovely to hear them.”
Zach and Lindsay Wahl thought the performance was “absolutely lovely.”
Mr. Wahl, who works as a consultant, said the performance was very diverse and different pieces invoked different emotions.
“It was so diverse. Every song was different … I just thought it was very well done,” he said, adding that it was “energizing and exciting at times, and then extremely poignant at other times.”
Ms. Wahl, an attorney, loved the performance.
“I think it’s exhilarating, it’s exciting,” she said.
Jay Josselyn, who runs his own business in Virginia, was impressed by the use of traditional Chinese instruments and how Eastern and Western musical traditions were blended in the performance.
“I was impressed, the encores were very impressive. The fullness of the sound and the quick cadence of the beat, it was very enjoyable,” said Mr. Josselyn.
Nydia Angelarango, who spoke in Spanish, found the show spectacular.
“They sound very beautiful, the singers … the tenor, and the soprano sang beautifully,” she said via Mr. Josselyn who translated her thoughts into English.
Reporting by Jenny Jing and Omid Ghoreishi
New York-based Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra comprises musicians from the four Shen Yun Performing Arts touring companies. For information about the last October performance, visit: ShenYun.com/Symphony
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the company’s inception in 2006.
