Conductor Commends ‘Beautiful Sound’ of Shen Yun’s Orchestra
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Alexandra Cameron, a music director at a Melbourne college with Doug Heywood at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary Theatre on March 11, 2026.
NTD
“It’s absolutely stunning. The choreography. The costumes are beautiful. The orchestra is really a wonderful job. It’s just inspiring. Really is to see all that. Seeing the story is told in such a beautiful way is inspiring,” said Mr. Heywood, a choral conductor, music educator, and music director.
The Shen Yun Orchestra, which tours with Shen Yun, is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.
“Orchestrally fantastic. It’s a really beautiful sound from the orchestra,” Mr. Heywood said.
Shen Yun’s singers are trained in bel canto technique, and the digital backdrop provides a translation of the Chinese text being sung.
“A lovely singer, that’s a beautiful song. And the orchestra is so well controlled. Wonderful conductor. She’s doing a fantastic job,” Mr. Heywood said.
Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism” and to revive people’s connection to 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.
“What’s coming through to me is a very positive attitude toward life. In the history there is honesty, and it’s full of just richness and goodness,” Mr. Heywood said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts' curtain call at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary Theatre, on March 11, 2026. Grace Yu/The Epoch Times
Erika Kurec and Frank were also in the audience for this matinee performance.
“[Shen Yun is] promoting classical culture as opposed to contemporary culture in China. So this is marrying art, history, and culture. That’s an interesting piece of theatre for me,” expressed Ms. Kurec, a registered nurse and artist.
Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
“I’m just loving the dancing, the costumes, the choreography. Very fluid, very beautiful,” Ms. Kurec said.
As a painter, Ms. Kurec was intrigued by Shen Yun’s use of color.
“Those peachy colors with a strong color and the combinations. And the sleeves, the long sleeve dresses. It’s a very evocative treatment,” she said.
Shen Yun’s use of its digital backdrop is patented. The versatility of the technology allows the set to change scenes in the blink of an eye, giving the stage endless possibilities.
“I really like the background film, which is actually interactive, so that you get the background information, and story, and vision interacting with what’s happening on stage. And I feel that that’s really an interesting way of promoting the story,” Ms. Kurec said.
