NEW YORK—Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra performed the first of its only two concerts this season at David Geffen Hall on the afternoon of Oct. 22, drawing awed responses from several first-time listeners, including a longtime classical music lover who chose the event for her first-ever concert.
“All of your senses were awakened, and all of your senses were pleased, and all of your senses were brought joy, you know, and made happy,” said Paulette Cunningham, a business owner who trains customer service staff. “It was absolutely spectacular.”
Ms. Cunningham had attended her first-ever classical music performance with friends from Shanghai to hear the world’s only orchestra that permanently combines ancient Chinese instruments with a classically Western ensemble.
The program included classical favorites like a movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, as well as original works written by Shen Yun Performing Arts’ in-house composers, which blend the East and West through classical music.
Ms. Cunningham felt that while listening to the Chinese classical music, memories welled up.
“It wakes up your senses,” she said, “and it makes you feel so joyful and happy and blessed.”
“I was in the moment and totally soaking it all in and just thoroughly enjoying it with every ounce of me, with every cell in my body.”
She said the music was “touching the soul, and keeping you human, and connected.”
“They say music is the universal language. And that’s because it does touch the soul,” she said. “It does make us feel closer to one another. Because we do recognize that we are all one human family, one soul connected in different bodies. So yeah, it was soul stirring. Most definitely.”
The musicians were “stellar, the absolute best,” she added. “It was stellar performances from everyone. It was—fantastic. Nothing was missed. Nothing more could have been added. It was wonderful.”
With reporting by Sally Sun.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
From The Epoch Times
