衛武營國家藝術文化中心 Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

Weiwuying's highly anticipated year-end Animation in Concert series never fails to excite kids and parents alike. The musical event not only brings joy to children, but also resonates with those who are still young at heart. The 2021 edition of the concert will present yet another audiovisual feast that melds classical and modern artistic styles.

The first half of the concert will feature TCHAIKOVSKY's classic—The Nutcracker Suite, with an 8-piece orchestral suite hand-picked by none other than the composer himself. The suite will be accompanied with animations by the versatile British artist Tom SCOTT, taking audiences on a journey into a fantastical kingdom filled with holiday wonders. The second half will feature music from two of the most popular stop-motion clay animation series in the UK—Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, whose lively rhythms are sure to keep all your troubles at bay.

The two animation concerts introduced by Weiwuying this time have been performed at various locations in the UK, receiving rave reviews from across the country. As in previous years, Kaohsiung's outstanding local Counterpoint Ensemble has been invited, once again, to perform live music. Join us at Weiwuying's vineyard-style Concert Hall to experience the magical musical worlds of the Nutcracker Prince and Wallace & Gromit.

  Pre-talk  

2021/12/25(Sat)10:20-10:40 Concert Hall 3rd Floor

2021/12/25(Sat)14:20-14:40 Concert Hall 3rd Floor

2021/12/26(Sun)14:20-14:40 Concert Hall 3rd Floor

  Creative and Production Team  

Conductor｜CHANG Yin-fang

Ensemble｜Counterpoint Ensemble

The Nutcracker Suite

Animation Maker｜Tom SCOTT

Composer｜P. I. TCHAIKOVSKY

Wallace & Gromit

Animation Production｜Aardman Animations

Licensor｜Carrot Productions Limited

  Artists introduction  

Conductor | CHANG Yin-fang

Any orchestra would be challenged by the work's complex rhythms, but the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong fared well under guest conductor CHANG Yin-fang, helped by her attention to detail and clarity of gesture."——Dirk NEWTON, South China Morning Post (2017)

CHANG Yin-fang is Resident Conductor of the Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra). She completed her musical education in Taiwan and served as Assistant Conductor from 2006 to 2015.

During this period, CHANG conducted well-received educational concerts and "NSO Forever Tales" annually, co-producing new programs with puppet theatre, children's book illustrators, and animators. In March 2012, she stepped in for ailing Gennady ROZHDESTVENSKY at short notice to conduct SHOSTAKOVICH's Symphony No. 8 in the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival to great acclaim.

She is passionate about the transformative power of music in society and education. In addition, she has collaborated with film directors, television actors and indie bands, producing strikingly progressive crossover work. Her collaborations with Igudesman & Joo in particular are highly acclaimed.

CHANG is also an astute interpreter of Asian contemporary scores. She conducted "Tribute to Wen-Chung CHOU", featuring seven contemporary works, with Taipei Chinese Orchestra in a world premiere in 2013, and was nominated for the Taishin Arts Award. In 2017, she recorded new orchestral pieces of Taiwanese indigenous song, drawing on themes of tradition and identity and articulating them in innovative ways for contemporary audiences, underlining the value of both tradition and innovation. In 2018, she was invited to conduct the opening concert of the Asian Composers League Conference and Festival with many new compositions.

She debuted in Hong Kong and Japan, working with City Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In addition to her conducting career, CHANG teaches conducting and score reading at Fu-Jen Catholic University and Taipei National University of the Arts.

Counterpoint Ensemble

In 1997, Kung-Ling LIANG, the Art Director and founder of Counterpoint Ensemble, gathered the impassioned, professional musicians and built up the Ensemble in Southern Taiwan. The Ensemble has not only performed in chamber music, but also created interdisciplinary programs, in which the Ensemble works with visual artists, dancers, and actors to express classical music in the diversified circumstances. In 2011, the Ensemble worked with a renowned French mime group and performed L'Amour. Bunya Koh and His Two Wives, a multidisciplinary program the Ensemble made in 2014, had been nominated by Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture. The commentator of the National Culture and Arts Foundation once considered the performance of the Ensemble was "the perfect balance of music and theater." Counterpoint Ensemble has performed in several concert halls in Taiwan, including those in Kaohsiung and Taipei, and also acquired commendation from the government for almost a decade. Furthermore, the Ensemble has received commendation from Taiwan's Ministry of Culture since 2010, being a recognition for the Ensemble's effort and quality.

Wallace & Gromit Photo© and TM Aardman/W&G Ltd. All rights reserved

The Nutcracker Suite Photo© Tom Scott

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