Violinist of Chinese Descent Expresses Pride in Traditional Culture Presented by the Divine Performing Arts

By He Yu, Zhang Yunduo in Toronto, Canada

(Clearwisdom.net) On January 18, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts opening performance in Toronto attracted many artists who highly praised the show. Among them was Conrad Chow, a Canadian violinist of Chinese descent.

Canadian Chinese violinist Conrad Chow

Despite being born and raised outside of China, the traditional belief presented in the show struck a sympathetic chord in Mr. Chow

A friend of Conrad Chow recommended that he definitely should not miss seeing the Divine Performing Arts' performance. Even after the end of the show, Mr. Chow's mind was filled with the dance scenes. He said, "Daniel was right. I'm so fortunate to have listened to him."

Conrad Chow has traveled to China and visited Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian and other places. He said that he had watched a Tang Dynasty style dance in China, but there was no comparison to the Divine Performing Arts dances. "Everything-- from the performances to the costumes, dances, music, backdrops, and so on--was outstanding. It is hard to choose among the great scenes for the one I could say I liked the best."

A musician himself, Mr. Chow thought the music to be excellent. He said that the combination of composition, backdrop, dance and drama were perfect. Generally when a story is told through music, people have a tendency to get bored if they are not familiar with it. But, the music in this show is so touching.

Born and raised outside of China, Mr. Zhao felt deeply moved when seeing the traditional Chinese belief presented through the performance. He found the story of the two teenagers seeking refuge from the weather in a temple was enlightening. He thinks that his creative touch as an artist will benefit from having seen the show: "The show presented me with great information useful for my work as a musician. In modern society people are lost. As a musician I enjoy traditional music and dance. But in reality I have to present what the audience likes. This show gave me the direction I should take in the future."

Mr. Zhao's grandparents watch NTDTV's television programs and like them. "They said that NTDTV shows are great and they also wanted to come to the show. They started to learn about Falun Gong and its call for lifting moral standards through NTDTV programs. Unfortunately people in China do not have freedom like people in Canada. I think the Divine Performing Arts tells people the truth through art. It is great."

Mr. Zhao wanted to let people who haven't seen the show know that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will be held soon and the entire world will be watching China. Showing traditional Chinese culture is very important, just like today's show. It's definitely worth seeing. No one should miss the opportunity to see the show. It's so powerful and vivid. It's true Chinese culture with its 5,000 years of history. "Being of Chinese decent, I'm proud of the Divine Performing Arts' performance. It expressed traditional Chinese culture perfectly through classical dance and music," said Mr. Chow.

Conrad Chow was born in Toronto. He began to play the violin at the age of three. He studied with famous violinists, including Pamela Frank and Ani Kavafian at New York State University and obtained a Ph.D.. Having given solo performances in many U.S. and Canadian art centers, Konrad is a rising star.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/1/19/170680.html

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