Taichung and Cupertino Friendship Cities Association (TCFCA) hosted the “Legendary and Future” marimba concert at Quinlan Community Center on August 27. UchannelTV Chamber Music and Jingping Chen’s music studio coordinated the event to invite world-renowned marimba master player/composer and percussion educator Gordon Stout, and fifteen young Bay Area musicians to share their craft. On the day of the event, funds were raised for the "Kushi Taichung Friendship Cities Association''.
VIPs in attendance included President of TCFCA Weini Hu, City of Cupertino Mayor Wei Hung, and Cupertino City Manager Pamela Wu. To kick off the event, Wei Hung welcomed Professor Stout to Cupertino and made an enlightening speech to emphasize the power of unity through music and art. Pamela Wu encouraged everyone to shop and dine in beautiful Cupertino.
UchannelTV Chamber music group co-presidents Jonathan Yuen and David Hsieh expressed their appreciation to Taichung City and Cupertino City for supporting young artists during the pandemic years by hosting online activities so students could have cultural exchanges through online meetings. They also thanked Chairwoman Weini Liem for her longtime support and efforts in supporting supplementary education for youths.
"In this world, my favorite place is Taiwan!" Having traveled to Taiwan many times, Stout expressed his love for Taiwan and praised the amazing children in Taiwan. After a period in his life when he lost many friends, he composed "Etude in A Major (Happy!)" with a happy and joyful tune to resolve his grief. After knowing about the tragic war in Ukraine, Stout composed Prayer for Ukraine 2022 (Prayer for Ukraine), praying for all the pain in the war with music. Stout performed three pieces of music composed by himself.
Weini Hu thanked all the guests who came to participate. Previously, due to the pandemic, the event could only be held online. This is the first in-person event after the pandemic. Weini Hu said: "It is a very good opportunity to see Professor Stout’s performance in person, young musicians can have the opportunity to learn from a master and improve their musical strength. At the same time, it also gives the villagers the opportunity to enjoy themselves! "
Teacher Chen gave more context for the history behind the event: "During the epidemic, the Taichung Friendship City Association of Kushih assisted the children in Taiwan and Kushih to establish a cooperative relationship. Although it was impossible to perform in person during the pandemic, through the assistance of the Association, students had many online opportunities. This opportunity allowed us to perform on stage and the opportunity to raise funds to give back.”
The marimba recital received warm applause from an audience of nearly 200 people.
