Interview of Project Coordinator Unforgettable, Unforgettable Can’t forget your wrongs, Can’t forget your goodness Can’t forget the walk in the rain and the hug in the wind Unforgettable, Unforgettable Can’t forget your tears, Can’t forget your smiles Can’t forget the sorrow of the falling leaves, and the agitation of the blossoming flowers The lonely alley is now shining under the declining moon The empty swing is rocking gently against the breeze Like it’s repeating your request to forget, and forget While I can only reply with a humming voice that it’s hard, and hard Unforgettable, Unforgettable Can’t forget that spring has ended, Can’t forget the withered flowers Can’t forget the agony of separation, and now the pain of nostalgia -Lyrics from the song Unforgettable Love ( http://youtu.be/dETZvr8RyIY ) Taiwan, our homeland, is the source of all our many unforgettable memories. You are invited to attend this special concert that is designed to invoke your memories of the unforgettable past: 1. You Come 2. Olive Tree 3. Homeland Sickness 4. Moonlight Shining 5. Beneath the Flower Tree 6. Eighteen Year Old Girl 7. The Way You Were 8. Peach Blossoming 9. Daddy's Kite 10. Unforgettable Love 11. Memory 12. New & Old Four Seasons violin concerto 1:00 – 3:00 pm, Mar 21 (Sat), 2015 Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Avenue West, Roseville, MN 55113 (http://tolib.org/event) Below is a paper interview with the project coordinator of this concert: Q: Why did you want to have this concert? A: In 2011, we had a similar concert that was very well received (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5475012805F12CD8) and I think the success of that concert was due to the large ensemble we employed and the repertoire we chose to present. Based on this experience, and the presence of an incredible pool of Taiwanese musicians in our community, it would be a pity if we didn’t continue to find good music for them to perform for the community. Q: How did you come up with the music for this program? A: The choice of music is limited by the instruments that our musicians can play and the available sources of Taiwanese music. Thus, I was focused on the music that could be played by string ensembles first. From prior choir experience, I remembered a few choir pieces that stood out to me. I also discovered a few more Hakka pieces during my research that I could envision being played by string and piano ensembles. For the longest time I have dreamed of combining Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons concerto with some Taiwanese folk songs, similar to those we have previously done. Q: What is the theme of this concert? A: To be honest, the theme of the concert ( The Love of Taiwan -Nostalgia and the Four Seasons) is a reflection of the repertoire we found, instead of what we intended to be. I was surprised that we ended up with a very meaningful program after evaluating our chosen pieces. First we start with “You Come” explaining how nostalgia enters our heart from time to time. Next, we have the Wanderer’s Sorrow suite (“Olive Tree” and “Homeland Sickness”) telling us how sorrowful we as immigrants feel about being away from our homeland. Next, we turn our attention to youthful memories as told by the Hakka folk songs, and finally, the most unforgettable things in our life as told by ”Daddy's Kite”, “Unforgettable Love”, and”Memory” that end the first half of the program. The second half of the program is unique to our experience in Minnesota, where we experience extreme cold temperatures during the winter, as opposed to the extreme hot Taiwanese weather. So we are using parts of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons violin concerto intermixed with some movements adapted from the Taiwanese folk songs to present this interesting contrast of the four seasons we experience here and there, past and now. Q: What touches you most in the program? A: All the music in this program carries their own meaning and appeals to different life experiences. My daughter told me that our music is surprisingly sad when I explained to her what the lyrics of ”Unforgettable Love” meant. I told her that she would never understand them until she is old and separated from her loved ones. Also I can never keep my tears from dropping whenever I hear the following lyrics from ”Daddy's Kite”: I still remember the days when daddy taught me how to fly a kite He said, some day, you’ll fly like the kite Flying higher, and higher, until you see things far away Flying higher, and higher, but never forget the hands that held the beginning of the string. These are just a couple of examples to show how touching the music can be. Q: What is your expectation of the concert? A: I’m very thankful for the TOLIB and other sponsors are willing to sponsor this high-cost event – estimated to be around $6,000. We are fortunate enough to have 15 outstanding musicians joining us in the concert. Rehearsing over past and coming weekends, the musicians are working very hard to prepare for the concert, hoping that many will come that they’ll win the audience’s heart through the music. So, if you would, please help spread this message to your friends and invite them to come to this free event.