The Millennium Concert of Legacy (傳唱千古情音樂會) was divided into three parts, Voice of Formosa(寶島之聲), Theatrical Music(戲曲音樂), and Innovation of Traditional Music(傳統元素新創作). Voice of Formosa includes Hakka singer of Lai Bi-shia, Taiwanese narrative singer of Yang Shiu-chin, and Lileh of Taiwan-Burun Tribe. Theatrical Music includes Nanguan, Beiguan, Bangzi Opera, Peking Opera, Taiwanese Opera.
As it was the first time for me to visit the GuoGuang Opera house, I arrived one hour in advance to get familiar with the surroundings. I visited the Taipei City Library Mucha branch and I bought two summer hats in the nearby market. Toastmaster Kate and I met for lunch at a cozy coffeehouse before the concert.
After the concert, Kate and I waited at the gate eagerly to send our regards to the performers. When Kate introduced Ms. Liao, Chun-chi, the Taiwanese Opera singer to us. At the age of 76, Ms. Liao looked elegant and poised. She has been devoted to the heritage of Taiwanese Opera since her retirement. I grew up with Taiwanese opera and Peking opera on TV in my childhood. I watched Peking opera with my parents. I watched Taiwanese opera with my brothers and sisters. I couldn't wait to see Yang Li-hua (楊麗花) playing heroic man squashing evil and romatic man with the sweethearts in the love scenes.
Taiwan is a small island of many ethnic groups, Taiwanese, Mainlanders from all over China, Hakka, aboriginal people. The mix and match of languages and cultures provided a rich array of elements for artists to create their works of amazing voices and for people to enjoy the versatile and colorful lives.
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