WASHINGTON, D.C.—John Locke has attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for three years in a row, every time completely enjoying the new artistic production.

“I love so many things. It’s such a wonderful artistic spectacle as well as a wonderful message,” said Mr. Locke, who plays percussion with the Baltimore Symphony.

Mr. Locke felt Shen Yun told a very human story “of spirituality, and certainly with discipline and denying oneself to work for a reward, you know spiritual rewards later and the emphasis on lack of materialism, I think is fantastic.”

“And it’s fun, there’s so much humor and just a lot of drama and love certainly, all very human elements I think,” he added.

“It’s beautifully presented, and the costumes, of course, are unbelievable. It’s like watching paintings move and I’m just delighted,” Mr. Locke said.

The music was beautiful as well, Mr. Locke said. Shen Yun’s orchestras are unique for their seamless blend of East and West, incorporating ancient Chinese instruments into a Western orchestra and making use of ancient Chinese melodies in the original compositions that make use of a classical symphony’s grandeur.

“The arrangements and compositions are very creative. And it’s a wonderful fusion of the Western instruments with the traditional Chinese instruments,” Mr. Locke said.

Mr. Locke said it must have been a “tremendous challenge” to accomplish.

“I think the amount of creativity is outstanding. It’s really outstanding,” he said.