SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Music Impresses Singer Brian Hyland

Mar 31, 2022

STAMFORD, Conn.—Singing is a beautiful form of communication. As someone who expresses himself through song, Brian Hyland was impressed by how Shen Yun Performing Arts uses song and dance as its expressive tool.

Hyland recorded a number one U.S. hit when he was only 16 years old and to this day, he continues to write, record, and perform his music around the world. He came to see New York-based Shen Yun with his wife, Kathalynn, a writer and actress.

“The music, the orchestra, the arrangements are very, very great. And the soloist singer, with the piano, I thought he had a great voice also,” said Hyland.

Shen Yun’s orchestra highlights traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa and erhu while using a classical Western orchestra as the foundation of the ensemble.

“The music is fantastic, and the arrangements that they’re playing sound very traditional and very good use of the string section … and the whole thing, especially the percussion, I liked that,” said Mr. Hyland.

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,00o years of Chinese civilization. Throughout the performance, the beauty and spirituality of China before communism is seen in each piece.

That's what I liked the most, the spiritual aspect of the show.

— Brien Hyland

“That’s what I liked the most, the spiritual aspect of the show. I know China is a very spiritual place and I know what happened to China and I’m happy to see all that spirituality in this show,” he said.

Hyland shared his enthusiasm for having the opportunity to see Shen Yun saying, “I’ve always wanted to see it. I didn’t know how great it was, seeing it in person—it is great!”

‘All Free-Loving Citizens’

James Zafiros, a senior executive in the television business, was also in the audience this afternoon.

“It’s a beautiful performance. Very colorful, very creative. A tribute to Chinese history and the Chinese people and I wish all free-loving citizens could see it,” Zafiros said.

Shen Yun Performing Arts New Era Company's curtain call at The Palace Theatre, in Stamford, on March 31, 2022. (Larry Dye/The Epoch Times) — Shen Yun Performing Arts New Era Company's curtain call at The Palace Theatre, in Stamford, on March 31, 2022. Larry Dye/The Epoch Times

Although Shen Yun is dedicated to sharing the beauty of China with audiences around the world, it is not permitted to perform in China.

“My opinion is this should be available to everyone. Freedom is a very, very special thing. People all over the world should have freedom and that’s what this message is about,” he added.

Zafiros shared that although Shen Yun is sharing Chinese culture, it is not a performance meant only for those of Chinese ethnicity, but it’s for everyone.

“It’s been very inspiring. It’s colorful, creative, powerful, it sends interesting messages and it shows me a lot about the people. I’m an American but I’ve been to China and I’ve traveled considerably and I think this is a beautiful tribute to all peoples throughout the world.”

Reporting by Wei Yong, Yichun Lin, and Maria Han.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.