MINNEAPOLIS—Even after spending time in China and playing music with numerous Chinese performers, Richard Dirlam, a saxophone player in Minneapolis, said he'd never seen a group of musicians like the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.
Harmonizing with dozens of dancers onstage at the Orpheum Theatre, Shen Yun’s players flavorfully blended together Western and Chinese instruments—including the pipa and two-stringed erhu—to bring ancient myths to life onstage.
“A lot is going on onstage, and a lot going on in the orchestra pit,” Mr. Dirlam told The Epoch Times after watching Shen Yun on Saturday afternoon. “It’s very fun, very nice, very interesting—something I’ve never seen before.”
The very first sight the audience saw was the conductor bowing under a spotlight alongside the pit musicians. The first sound was a gong. Then, the curtain rose to reveal a light-soaked scene from the Chinese heavens with smoke billowing offstage. The program began thusly with the myth of creation, telling how the Creator led a multitude of deities to Earth to roll out China’s 5,000-year history.
And while all eyes were focused on the dancers’ colorful costumes and the precision choreography, Dirlam said his ears were tuned on the sounds of the symphony.
“The trumpet player is really a good player. And the pipa, she plays a lot; she has a big part, a very important part, and she plays very well,” the musician said. “The erhu player, she has a nice style with her instrument. And the string section is very good also; they play with enthusiasm.”
Now celebrating its 20th year, Shen Yun Performing Arts has toured the globe, using classical Chinese dance and orchestral music to revive a culture that was “almost lost” under communism during the destructive Cultural Revolution. While aiming to restore traditional values—such as selflessness and kindness—the company thinks of music as, quite literally, medicine for the body and soul.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Migliaccio, a music teacher who also spoke with The Epoch Times after Saturday’s performance, also enjoyed Shen Yun and its live orchestra in Minneapolis. “It all goes together so much with the dance performance. It’s very joyful for the most part,“ she said. ”It’s utterly fantastic, amazing—the timing, the music, the creativity, the variation from dance to dance.”
And Ms. Migliaccio appreciated the moral encouragement that the artists brought to the stage. Through ancient tales, the company highlights the values of “China before communism,” making the show a family-friendly and uplifting experience.
“There’s not super sensual elements mixed in. You can really focus on the artistry of the event rather than [it] being more tantalizing or something,” she said. “It’s very family-friendly, I think, and well done and beautiful.”
Rebecca Migliaccio attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Minneapolis's Orpheum Theatre on March 28, 2026. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times
Traditional Chinese culture has always been a deeply spiritual culture. It was only in recent decades that the Chinese Communist Party appeared and made the atheist ideology of communism its mandate. Now, Shen Yun wants to revive that divinely inspired culture, and so far, it’s resonated with audiences all around the world, as well as in Minneapolis.
“There’s some overlap with Christianity,” Migliaccio said. “I’m fascinated that it’s coming out of New York.”
Many of the company’s performers fled China to escape persecution of their spiritual faith. Establishing a home base in upstate New York, they launched a dance company in America to raise awareness about oppression in China and express their values freely.
“I would love to meet some of these artists just to chat for a minute and find out what their inspiration was,“ Migliaccio said, adding that she would personally thank Shen Yun’s director ”for coming to cold Minnesota.”
Reporting by Nancy Ma, Yeawen Hung, and Michael Wing.
