TAIWANfest 2020: The Island and the Maple Leaf concert will showcase classical music from both sides of the Pacific

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      The Greek goddess Harmonia was a deity who presided over cosmic balance.

      Here on Earth the Harmonia Orchestra of Vancouver is also doing its part to promote understanding and friendship between East and West.

      On Saturday night (October 3), it will perform a virtual concert, entitled The Island and the Maple Leaf, to close this year's TAIWANfest.

      Also making an appearance will be Taiwan's Chin-Ai String Orchestra, which is comprised of Indigenous children from Atayal and Sediq communities.

      "Using music to heal the soul, it is an enlightening event that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographical barriers, bridging together people of different cultures and backgrounds to remind us of the good that can be made when we all come together," the TAIWANfest website states.

      Harmonia's conductor, Nicholas Urquhart, will lead the orchestra through Canadian composer Harry Somers's She's Like the Swallow and African-American composer George Walker's Lyric for Strings.

      The event will be cohosted by Katrina Chen, who's seeking reelection as the MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, and Ken Hsieh, music director of Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra.

      Both are proud of their Taiwanese heritage and both have been long-time participants in TAIWANfest, which is organized by the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association.

      This year, The Society of We Are Canadians Too (SWACT) is also a co-organizer.

      Check out conductor Ken Hsieh's "Artist Talk" at TAIWANfest.

      The two-hour concert closing TAIWANfest will be broadcast twice on Saturday evening—at 8 and 11 p.m.

      It can be viewed by visiting VancouverTAIWANfest.ca/concert. It will also be available on TAIWANfest Vancouver's YouTube and Facebook channels.

      Video: Watch a preview of The Island and the Maple Leaf

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