Dear friends,

Happy new year! I wish you all have a very pleasant holiday season and bright year ahead. After the hardest confinement and social isolation, now is the time, or at least it seems to me, to celebrate and to hope for the new beginnings as we have resumed most of our daily activities.

Some of you may wonder why I have paused on this site and there are no updates on my performance calendar for more than a year whereas the extended long winter for performance arts has gradually faded away. No worries, I’m safe and sound, or even better than that—I gave a birth to a son last year! Out of consideration for the baby’s development and my family life, I decided to be a full-time mom in this time period and resigned my position at Fresno State. To my surprise, this choice, to be a full-time mom, that I made fully by myself calls into question my commitment to feminism and my value by people around me. I personally think this society underestimates the role of a stay-at-home parent. I also believe that, a true feminist will support anyone, regardless of the gender, who wants to take up the role of taking care of the home and taking care of his or her own children as a full-time job.

At the same time, I think the fact that I am a pianist will never change and I will keep up my professional skills in the next few years. You will see me slowly update my YouTube channel with homemade videos. These will be pieces that I adored but never had a chance to learn in my younger years. I hope they will bring you the same joy or other affections as the pieces brought me. Cheers!

Best,

Shing-Ming

Dear friends,

Due to the new COVID quarantine restriction in Taiwan and schedule conflict, I’m sorry to announce that my recital at Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (6/11) is cancelled.

The good news is, I’ve posted two new recordings on YouTube for those of you who planned on coming to this recital. These two live recordings, Schumann’s Fantasie and Sheila Silver’s Six Preludes for Piano on Poems of Baudelaire (1991), were taken on January 11 at National Theater and National Concert Hall, Taipei.

Sheila Silver’s Six Preludes for Piano on Poems of Baudelaire (1991)

Schumann’s Fantasie

Meet you on the YouTube! Take care!

Best,

Shing-Ming

Hello friends!

Being a minority and the second sex myself, I've been really hesitant to express my own opinions and mixed feelings on recent social events. However, I feel the urge to share this podcast by my former piano teacher, the renowned pianist Awadagin Pratt: https://artofthepiano.org/2020/06/13/aop-take-five/?fbclid=IwAR20WCas9D0uBnyjigSf76S6sg6OuenXTps6o1399aCzFh0NDGNCwvdg6_0. If you search online, you will learn that Mr. Pratt was the first African-American pianist to win the Naumburg International Piano Competition. This fact is highlighted again and again for a reason.

In this one-hour podcast, along with his own wonderful recordings, Prof. Pratt gives an insightful talk on social injustices, starting from sharing his own personal experiences. I particularly agree with the idea that Mr. Pratt encourages the audience to talk/socialize with black friends, not merely knowing of a few and being an outsider. To me, it's equivalent to AOC's words, "having a daughter does not make a man decent," in another sense.

Please do check it out!

Best,

Shing-Ming

Dear music students, teachers and performers,

In this pandemic, if you must interact with people in person because of engagement or teaching-learning process, here are some results of performing arts aerosol study: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/unprecedented-international-coalition-led-by-performing-arts-organizations-to-commission-covid-19-study/?fbclid=IwAR3y4qQcL80b6yzispsVDQNZ_ZcKYsiMoAH5CEKb2H9TFvxtgTbSyYCYNo0

On the webpage, you will find the link to the shared folder which contains related studies. I hope this may help you come up with a safer setting. Take care!

Best,

Shing-Ming

希望大家無論身在何處，一切都好！

最近常收到關於原定台灣獨奏會票務與延期的詢問及關心，在這裡向各位朋友衷心地致謝。由於今年多數表演藝術均受疫情影響而取消或延期，花了一段時間才與國家表演藝術中心敲定檔期，三場都將延期至2021，請大家見諒。

新的巡演日期如下 ：

• 2021/1/6 (一) 19:30 高雄衛武營表演廳

• 2021/1/11 (三) 19:30 台北國家兩廳院演奏廳

• 2021/6/22 (二) 19:30 台中歌劇院中劇院

曲目：

• 巴赫，約翰·瑟巴斯提安：義大利協奏曲，BWV 971

• 西爾弗，席拉（美國當代作曲家；羅馬大獎得主）：為波特萊爾之詩所作六首鋼琴前奏曲* 台灣首演

• 蕭邦，弗烈德烈克：幻想即興曲，作品編號66

• 布拉姆斯，約翰尼斯：三首間奏曲，作品編號117

• 舒曼，羅伯特：幻想曲，作品編號17

敬請期待。我們明年台灣再會！

歆茗　上

***

I hope everyone is doing well—wherever you are!

Thank you for all your patience and support. The re-scheduled dates for my 2020 Taiwan Recital Tour are on the dates and times mentioned below:

• 2021/1/6 (Monday) 19:30 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, Weiwuying (Kaohsiung)

• 2021/1/11 (Wednesday) 19:30 National Theater and National Concert Hall (Taipei)

• 2021/6/22 (Tuesday) 19:30 Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (Taichung)

Program:

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Italienisches Konzert, BWV 971

• Sheila Silver (1946-): Six Preludes for Piano on Poems of Baudelaire (1991)* Taiwan Premier

• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Fantaisie-Impromptu, Opus 66

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Drei Intermezzi, Opus 117

• Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Fantasie C-dur, Opus 17

See you in Taiwan next year! Be well!

Sincerely,

Shing-Ming

親愛的大家：

因應指揮中心公眾集會活動最新建議，及文化部提出因應原則（室內超過100人、室外超過500人之演出活動建議停辦或延期）；很抱歉要告訴大家今年七月的台灣獨奏會要延期了。雖然台灣目前防疫成就卓越，保障了大家能夠維持正常日常生活，若是要如期舉行音樂會也是可行，但我覺得現階段還是應該保護所有對於音樂會支持的大家、避免群聚感染的可能性。至於延期的詳細音樂會及售票日期，目前是預計明年的一月或六月，確定了日期之後會再公告。

祝大家健康愉快！我們之後一定再見！

歆茗　上

P.S. 推薦給大家小提琴家 Anne Akiko Meyers、英國室內樂團與指揮David Lockington 的韋瓦第四季專輯

這裡的連結是冬的第一樂章 https://youtu.be/II-g4Ae1Vjo

春天將再來！

***

Dear all,

I’m really sorry to have to inform you that my Taiwan recitals scheduled for this July have had to be postponed until next year. Although Taiwan’s number of COVID infections is low and the entire country is able to avoid lockdown to this day, I have been following the government advice on organized gatherings and I think it is the best to take this action to ensure the protection of every one who is in support of the recitals. Re-scheduled dates in 2021 will soon be announced.

Stay safe. We will meet again!

Best,

Shing-Ming

P.S. I would like to recommend the album, The Four Seasons:The Vivaldi Album, by Anne Akiko Meyers, English Chamber Orchestra and David Lockington. Here is the link to L'inverno (Winter), the first movement https://youtu.be/II-g4Ae1Vjo

This too shall all pass!

大家都還好嗎？

在疫情還不明朗的情況下，我還是想先在此公告今年七月臺灣巡迴獨奏會的消息。總共有三場：7/15台北國家兩廳院演奏廳、7/22高雄衛武營表演廳、7/29台中歌劇院中劇院。預計5/15由兩廳院售票系統啟售。我會在時間接近的時候，再提供購票連結和新的資訊。

這次的巡迴，是我十年來首度在臺灣的演出；曲目也都是我非常喜歡並且對於我自己人生有重要意義的，非常期待到時能夠與大家同樂。其中Sheila Silver教授的作品，是臺灣首演。這組為法國詩人波特萊爾所作的六首前奏曲，微妙地用音樂融合了五感並再現，對照波特萊爾在「惡之華（花）」中的詩句，能夠讓聽者對於心智活動及感受有著更深一層的玩味。

希望相見的時候，我們的生活都步入常軌。祝大家健康安好。

廖歆茗 上

***

Dear all,

Hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy at this time! So far all my small scale performances and collegiate collaborative events have been cancelled until May. Yet I hope that I will see you during my Taiwan recital tour in this coming July. There will be three solo recitals: July 15 in Taipei (Recital Hall, National Theater and Concert Hall), July 22 in Kaohsiung (Recital Hall, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts) and July 29 in Taichung (Playhouse, Taichung Metropolitan Opera House). This is the first time that I give solo recitals in my home country over the past 10 years. Ticket sales will start on May 15. I will post a link or further notice when the time gets closer.

Wish you all the best from California! If you have a little problem with staying at home (not enjoying the solitude as much as I do), this article may help: https://www.fairobserver.com/culture/coronavirus-social-distancing-self-isolation-solitude-hannah-arendt-totalitarianism-news-16651/?fbclid=IwAR3-VsS8djaiJFdmflIi5G9oIwQEshzwIpjWW07YyZwH2tycqw7jt1YEklU

Sincerely,

Shing-Ming

How is everyone? Hope all is well. I haven’t posted or updated anything for awhile and there is a news this time—three Fresno State’s Faculty Gala Concerts, featuring Orff’s Carmina Burana and Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, are canceled due to the the State of California’s guidance for Coronavirus. Below is the open letter from our department chair, Dr. Matthew Darling.

Stay healthy and take care!

Best,

Shing-Ming

———————————————————————————————————————

Dear colleagues, peers, students, and patrons:

We regret to notify you that our Gala production of three performances of Carmina Burana this weekend has been canceled.  Tonight’s rehearsal is also canceled. 

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we are following evolving guidance from the CSU Chancellor’s Office, as well as state and local public health agencies. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out from me to all the faculty, staff, students, alumni, Fresno State administration, and AHAB members who have committed themselves to making this production possible.  We are committed to bringing our production of Carmina Burana to campus in the near future, and will keep you informed regarding upcoming events as we get more information.   

Patrons will receive a separate notice about how they will receive a refund.  

If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Sincerely,

Matthew Darling, DMA

Chair, Department of Music 

Hello everyone, welcome to my newly built website!

As you can see that I am still in the process bettering the webpages and updating all my performance events, please feel free to leave comments or contact me if you have any thoughts on this site or something else. Your opinions and communications will be much appreciated.

Let’s begin!