DALLAS—“Thank God that Michelle brought me here. I am so grateful,” said financial manager Mr. Spencer McGowan after seeing Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra with his wife at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas Tuesday evening.
“This was absolutely the most inspiring night. It was amazing,” Mr. McGowan said. “The absolute dedication of the musicians in what we heard tonight was inspriring.”
Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra debuted last year at Carnegie Hall in New York. Before that, the orchestra had been blending East and West in accompaniment to the acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Shen Yun was established in 2006 with the mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture, and respect is paid both to the great classical Western repertoire and traditional Chinese music.
“It was probably one of the best performances I have seen, and I have traveled in over 43 countries,” Mrs. McGowan said. “I thought that the Chinese instruments were so beautiful.”
No other orchestra combines a full Western symphony with traditional Chinese instruments, like the erhu and pipa, as permanent members.
The selection for Tuesday night’s performance included sounds from all over the world, with classical pieces like Beethoven’s “Egmont” Overture, a nod to America’s beloved composers with Leroy Anderson’s Bugler’s “Holiday,” and original compositions like “Creation” by Jing Xian, which draws inspiration from Tang dynasty court music.
“Besides the dedication, there were parts that were just absolute fantasy,” Mr. McGowan said. “For instance, the horns in the front and the drums, it was just playful. Absolute magic.”
Reporting by Rich Rangel and Catherine Yang
Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is on a seven-city tour with performances in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, from Sept. 27–Oct. 22. For more information, visit Symphony.Shenyun.com