WASHINGTON D.C.—Mr. Charles Hughes, divisional vice president and creative director with Lord & Taylor attended the Oct. 12 Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra performance at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

Mr. Hughes said, “I like the theater, I like music, I love symphony orchestras.” This time, he came to see the Shen Yun  orchestra because of his daughters attraction to the New York-based company.

He said, “It’s my daughter’s birthday, and she very much wanted to see this symphony orchestra. She had read about this orchestra, and she was very excited to see it. So, I was happy to take her.”

According to orchestra’s website, “Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra blends the spirit of Chinese music with the power of a Western orchestra. All-original compositions draw upon five millennia of culture and legends. Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass accentuate the sound of ancient Chinese instruments—like the two-stringed erhu and the plucked pipa. Never before have the exquisite beauty of Chinese melodies and the grandeur of a Western symphony been so seamlessly combined.”

Mr. Hughes said, “It’s been delightful. The orchestra is very accomplished,” adding that he particularly enjoyed the combination of Western and Eastern instruments in the orchestra.

Listening to the music made Mr. Hughes feel “Terrific,” he said.

“I’m very elated; it’s very uplifting; it’s inspiring. It’s a very well disciplined and skilled and talented orchestra.”

Having thought about what he had heard he said, “It’s the funny thing about music. It’s so abstract, but it’s so uplifting. Especially where these abstract notes that someone comes up with in his or her head, assembles them and creates music, sounds that bring people to a whole new level.”

His overall impression was that the musicians “are very good and both conductors are very accomplished.”

Reporting by Sally Sun and Heide B. Malhotra

Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is on a seven-city tour with performances in Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Toronto, Chicago, Miami, and Sarasota, from Oct. 4–27. For more information, visit Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.