AURORA, Ill.—Stephane Collopy, a professional violinist who performs with the Illinois Philharmonic, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Paramount Theatre on April 3. She said it was a “beautiful and inspiring performance” and “true mastery of the arts.”

“The music was absolutely beautiful. I was envisioning how it'd be to be in the pit playing this music because it’s so beautiful,” she said.

“The entire production was just flawless, captivating the whole time,” Ms. Collopy said. “It was just perfection. And how coordinated they were, it was wonderful.”

Ms. Collopy was delighted by Shen Yun’s original music and storytelling. “The solo work of all the principals were amazing. I thought the bass, cellos, and the bass player really supported the strings,” she added. “I loved the traditional sounds of the Chinese music and how it just brought everything to life.”

She was particularly impressed by the blending of Eastern and Western instruments. “The music was so full. I loved the moments with some of the traditional instruments, and then the oboe or the clarinet came in and tried to match the same tones. And it was almost like a blending of Eastern and Western, just like it said in the program. It was like a true mixture of that.”

Ms. Collopy had this to say about the conductor, “The conductor did a fantastic job. The performance wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t in the position that he was in to watch the dancers and coordinate the music.”

“I thought the coordination was right on, even some of the dance moves with the percussion, how everything just lined up perfectly. And I think the visual effects with the screen and the [flying] on and off of the stage, was a surprise, like a really delightful surprise,” Ms. Collopy said. “I’m really glad to be here.”