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Weiwuying × KSAF Digital Concert Hall to Air on April 25th Kaohsiung Works Together to Keep the Arts Rolling
The central government and local institutions are working together to keep the arts rolling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The two major cultural institutions of Kaohsiung City, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) and Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs, are actively making plans for the performing arts on top of various preventive measures. The Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival is inviting Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra, Counterpoint Ensemble, Kaohsiung City Wind Orchestra, and pianist Wu Ya-Hsin to work together to present the “Weiwuying × KSAF Digital Concert Hall.” Every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from April 25th to May 30th, audiences will be able to enjoy the marvelous performances on the stage of Weiwuying Concert Hall through Weiwuying or KSAF’s YouTube channel.
Weiwuying's artistic director Chien Wen-pin stated that the “presentness” of performing arts is irreplaceable. However, due to the pandemic, people are unable to enter venues for performances, and performance groups lose the chance to perform on stage. Weiwuying hopes to take various measures to keep the arts rolling, support performance groups, and provide art lovers with opportunities to enjoy the performing arts. Apart from working with the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Weiwuying is also presenting the “Weiwuying Theatre Six.” Weiwuying is composed of five performance spaces: opera house, playhouse, concert hall, recital hall, and outdoor theater. We hope that the online performances will give shape to the venue’s sixth theatre. Due to pandemic prevention, these online performances is a part of Weiwuying’s efforts to support performance groups. Weiwuying will continue to integrate related resources and give more opportunities for various groups, creatives , and theater professionals to participate in.
Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Lucia Lin points out that although we must all maintain social distancing in the face of the pandemic, we should remain intimacy with the arts. The pandemic has caused a significant decrease in the number of art and culture programs, resulting in fewer occasions for the public to engage with the arts. Apart from collaborating with Weiwuying in presenting the online concert, as a local cultural governmental department, the Bureau of Cultural Affairs is also working to bring together Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural and Arts Foundation, local performance groups, and performers to present the “Kaohsiung Online Art and Culture Performance Hall,” showcasing performances or videos on chamber music, traditional Chinese opera, artwork appreciation, theater etiquette, and other information to maintain the public’s engagement with the arts and increase publicity for the performance groups. These efforts not only achieve short-term relief but also allow local groups to gain more access to open calls and performance invitations, which are expected to revitalize the local performing arts.
With the collaboration of “Weiwuying × KSAF Digital Concert Hall,” Weiwuying and Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs will also be respectively presenting the “Weiwuying Theatre Six” and “Kaohsiung Online Art and Culture Performance Hall” series. “Weiwuying Theatre Six” invites different performing groups to create 10-15 minutes short works, will present online every Sunday at 9:30 pm from April 26th to May 31st. Performances of “Weiwuying × KSAF Digital Concert Hall” and “Weiwuying Theatre Six” can be found on the official YouTube channel of Weiwuying. For more information, please visit the official Weiwuying website.
The Bureau of Cultural Affairs’ “Kaohsiung Online Art and Culture Performance Hall” will be presenting retrospectives of classic works of Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra and Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra on weekdays and Sundays from April 9th. Clips of local Kaohsiung groups will also be included in the future. For more information on “Weiwuying × KSAF Digital Concert Hall”, Kaohsiung Online Art, and Culture Performance Hall, please visit the Facebooks pages of Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival, Kaohsiung City Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the two orchestras, or the bureau’s official website at https://www.khcc.gov.tw/.
Before each performance, Weiwuying and art venues within Kaohsiung are checked to ensure all six criteria for risk evaluation announced by the government are met. In addition, response plans and measures to ensure social distancing are carried out to decrease the risk of participants and performers. All art venues are disinfected hourly, forehead temperatures of venue staff are taken before going on duty, and staff members are required to wear facemasks throughout the entire working period. Weiwuying will keep updating the preventive measures according to the competent authorities. We advise visitors to wash hands frequently and seek medical attention as soon as symptoms such as high temperatures or acute respiratory infections occur.