CALGARY, Canada—Orchestral musician and organ professor Neil Cockburn got a pleasant surprise upon seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on Sunday night.
“I wasn’t expecting a live orchestra. I was delighted that there was a live orchestra, which I thought was tremendous,” said Mr. Cockburn, who teaches organ at the Mount Royal Conservatory in Calgary.
He said the Shen Yun Orchestra’s unique combination of classical Chinese and Western instruments “worked beautifully.”
“I particularly enjoyed the blend of what I might call Western instruments with traditional Chinese instruments. And I thought the whole blend of the music with dance and singing also was just incredibly well done, it was beautiful.”
Head of organ studies at Mount Royal University Organ Academy and Cantos Music Foundation organ scholar at the University of Calgary, Mr. Cockburn is a soloist, recitalist, accompanist, and orchestral musician who has been recorded for broadcast on both organ and harpsichord.
He has performed in several countries, including Ireland and South Africa, and his concerto repertoire spans works from Handel through to Victor Davies’ Jazz Concerto for Organ & Orchestra (2000).
Knowing a thing or two about music, Mr Cockburn noted how the “musical language” perfectly matched the show’s dance routines, scenery, and costumes.
“The musical language was using a pentatonic scale, so I perceived the musical language as being a Chinese kind of musical language, which was great. And I thought the orchestra played superbly. It was a wonderful blend of sonorities and absolutely went with the dance routines. It was really very tight.”
“I wasn’t expecting a live orchestra. I was delighted that there was a live orchestra, which I thought was tremendous,” said Mr. Cockburn, who teaches organ at the Mount Royal Conservatory in Calgary.
He said the Shen Yun Orchestra’s unique combination of classical Chinese and Western instruments “worked beautifully.”
“I particularly enjoyed the blend of what I might call Western instruments with traditional Chinese instruments. And I thought the whole blend of the music with dance and singing also was just incredibly well done, it was beautiful.”
Head of organ studies at Mount Royal University Organ Academy and Cantos Music Foundation organ scholar at the University of Calgary, Mr. Cockburn is a soloist, recitalist, accompanist, and orchestral musician who has been recorded for broadcast on both organ and harpsichord.
He has performed in several countries, including Ireland and South Africa, and his concerto repertoire spans works from Handel through to Victor Davies’ Jazz Concerto for Organ & Orchestra (2000).
Knowing a thing or two about music, Mr Cockburn noted how the “musical language” perfectly matched the show’s dance routines, scenery, and costumes.
“The musical language was using a pentatonic scale, so I perceived the musical language as being a Chinese kind of musical language, which was great. And I thought the orchestra played superbly. It was a wonderful blend of sonorities and absolutely went with the dance routines. It was really very tight.”
