[Free Concert] Pacific Lights — A Germany-Taiwan Musical Collaboration

11/21 (Sat), 11/22 (Sun) 15:30-16:10

Venue: Gallery 2

Free with Art Center admission. (Please arrive early to secure your seat. To ensure a great experience, entry will be closed once we are at capacity.)

♫･*.Program Note.*･♫ 

In Paul Chiang's work, light is never static; rather, it possesses a vibrant vitality and a musical rhythm. Located in Jinzun, Taitung, the Paul Chiang Art Center itself is a spatial sanctuary where architecture, natural light, and the environment engage in harmonious dialogue. The core concept of Pacific Lights is to translate this visual "flow of light and shadow" into an auditory "oscillation of rhythm." Breaking conventional boundaries, the musicians weave a series of luminous soundscapes amidst the fair-faced concrete architecture of the Paul Chiang Art Center and the seamless horizon of sea and sky. It fuses traditional Eastern instruments (Chinese flute and erhu) with the core of contemporary jazz (piano and drums).

The repertoire features original instrumental works composed specifically for this project by the musicians, showcasing rigorous academic thinking and contemporary jazz harmonic language. The four distinctly characterized instruments no longer maintain the traditional relationship of accompaniment and soloist. Instead, they transform into four independent artistic entities, searching for a dynamic balance of cultural fusion amidst intricate counterpoint and rhythmic interplay. This organic friction is precisely what makes the concert so highly anticipated. 

Distinct from entirely chaotic free improvisation, structured improvisation operates within predefined emotional frameworks, harmonic colors, or landscape imagery, challenging the musicians' immediate, aesthetic resonance and intuitive reactions in the exact moment of performance. Wandering between the rationality of the score and the sensibility of freedom, the four artists mirror the shifting light and cloud shadows of the East Coast—utterly unpredictable, yet filled with surprise and dramatic tension at every turn. Each brings a distinct musical and cultural perspective to the quartet:

Chinese Flute (Dizi)｜ShiYu Liu
In Eastern instrumentation, the Chinese flute carries an air of ethereal detachment and vast distance. In this project, ShiYu Liu’s breath transforms into a gentle breeze piercing through the mountains and seas of Jinzun. With a unique breath rhythm and agile techniques, she lays down a luminous sense of space and a painterly Eastern aesthetic for the music.

Erhu｜Ray Shou
As a fellow traditional Eastern instrument in the ensemble, the Erhu offers a distinctive bowed texture and an expressive ornamentation steeped in Eastern literati temperament. Ray Shou breaks traditional limitations, integrating the narrative quality of the Erhu into contemporary improvisation to engage in a dense and profound cultural dialogue with Western instruments.

Piano｜Lorenz Kellhuber
Hailing from Germany, contemporary pianist Lorenz Kellhuber is renowned for his deep European classical foundations and his acute sensibilities in contemporary jazz improvisation. His keys mirror the kaleidoscopic colors of Paul Chiang’s paintings—at times cascading like ocean waves, at others punctuating the space like points of shimmering starlight. He serves as the harmonic anchor of the entire performance.

Drums｜Gabriel Hahn
Also from Germany, drummer Gabriel Hahn’s rhythmic thinking possesses the experimental character of contemporary percussion. He translates the ebb and flow of the East Coast tides, the wind, and the subterranean resonance of the earth into percussion dynamics, precisely mastering the breath and tension within improvisational music.

This is not merely a concert, but a sensory journey that melts landscape, visual art, and contemporary sonic aesthetics into one furnace. Amidst the sound of the Pacific waves, Pacific Lights pays homage to the artistic spirit of Paul Chiang through music, leaving behind a profound and dazzling contemporary symphony of cultural exchange between Taiwan and Germany on the soil of Taitung.

🔔 Visitor Tips

• The concert begins at 15:30 and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Entry and re-entry will be paused during the performance and resume afterward.
• Please arrive at Cheng-Han Gallery (Gallery 2) before the performance begins. Entry may close once capacity is reached.
• As we expect a lively audience, visitors seeking a quieter experience are welcome to explore the other galleries during the concert.

🔔 A Note on Photography & Recording

The music performance in the galleries of the Art Center (Pacific Lights — A Germany-Taiwan Musical Collaboration) will be photographed and recorded.

By entering the performance space with a ticket, attendees are deemed to have consented to such photography and recording.

The Art Center reserves the right to use, or to authorize others to use, on a perpetual, royalty-free, and worldwide basis, any attendee’s likeness or voice that appears in live streaming, photography, video, audio, or other reproductions of the performance. Such content may be used in whole or in part, including but not limited to public transmission, broadcasting, public screening, reproduction, or other forms of exploitation (including, without limitation, through the Art Center’s official social media accounts or various promotional materials).

Additionally, recording is not permitted during this concert. The musicians warmly invite you to be fully present and enjoy the moment.

✧Concerts are made possible by the Paul Chiang Arts and Cultural Foundation.