Taipei Cultural Center in New York

Taiwanese American Violinist Richard Lin, Gold Medalist of the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis 2018, will have his Carnegie Hall recital debut on June 24 at 8 pm. The competition, which initially took place in September 2018, offered the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. Next month, Richard Lin will finally get to debut on the grand stage following two postponements due to the pandemic.

Lin, who is 30 years old, was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in Taiwan. He began learning how to play the violin at the age of four and had his public debut at the age of 11, performing the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. Lin graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and Lewis Kaplan respectively.

At an early age, Lin had already amassed a collection of top prizes at major international competitions, including 1st Prize at the Sendai International Violin Competition, 3rd Prize in the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, and 2nd Prize at the Singapore and Michael Hill International Violin competitions. As a result, he quickly built a reputation as one of the new generation’s most promising and gifted young violists.

However, Lin faced a major setback in 2017, when a bus crash nearly left him paralyzed while he was touring in China. Despite the initial effects of the accident, his dreams were not derailed. Instead, the time without practicing reminded him of his passion for music. One year later, Lin won the gold medal at the 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis — one of the most prestigious contests of its kind.

In 2020, Lin was selected by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) for a three-season residency. When the pandemic subsequently shut down almost all the performing arts venues in the United States, Lin returned to Taiwan, one of a few places where he would still be able to perform at in-person concerts and events. During his stay in Taiwan, Lin collaborated with Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra, and he even joined the faculty of the National Taipei University of Education, becoming the youngest professor to teach violin at the school.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2022/06/24/richard-lin-violin-thomas-hoppe-piano-0800pm.

A group of young Taiwanese artists will bring a Taiwanese-themed live art experience titled “Islanders: Compound Playground” to New Yorkers on June 17-18 in Long Island City. This program combines music, dance, film, and an interactive audio-visual experience, and authentic Taiwanese street food will also be served on-site. The audience is sure to enjoy the festive vibe as well as the beauty of Taiwanese culture.

“Islanders: Compound Playground” is produced by New York-based choreographer Chieh Hsiung and violinist Yu-Wei Hsiao, who met during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. While it seems unlikely for them to work together, as one is a choreographer and the other is a violinist, their partnership originated out of a shared passion for interdisciplinary learning and collaboration. This unique combination allowed them to be selected by Cultural Lab LIC as the artist-in-residence in February 2022, which is when “Islanders: Compound Playground” was born.

The program is a three-part live art experience, comprised of a sound installation, “My Childhood Home”; a film, “1991”; and a musical dance performance titled “Compound Playground.”

“My Childhood Home” was created by Tony Yang, a musical arranger, composer, and sound designer. The work portrays what multinationals like him may have gone through while growing up and living in different countries and cultures. The sound textures and non-conformist musical phrasing express confusion over self-identity, a result of moving back and forth between two different worlds.

“1991” is directed and produced by Grant Hao-Wei Lin, a multidisciplinary visual artist and filmmaker. This 15-minute short film involves the topics of homosexuality, religion, intimacy, and institutionalized oppression, which were inspired by Lin’s personal history of being an LGBTQ+, immigrant, and Asian artist living in the United States.

“Compound Playground” is a project focusing on merging old-school elements with modern cultures, featuring Chieh Hsiung, Yu-Wei Hsiao, actor Leo Yu-Ning Chang, and pianist Sobina Chi Kanter. In this performance, Hsiung not only introduces Taiwanese folk dances, but also uses them to make connections with modern dance, contemporary dance, street dance, and ballroom dance. In Hsiao’s musical arrangement, he rearranges Taiwanese folk songs, such as “Loving the Year Round,” “The Torment of a Flower,” and “On a Rainy Night in a Harbor City,” using Classical, Jazz, and neo-soul styles.

Artistic Director｜ Chieh Hsiung, Yu-Wei Hsiao
Dance Director｜Chieh Hsiung
Music Director｜ Yu-Wei Hsiao
Music Arranger｜Yu-Wei Hsiao, Sobina Chi Kanter, Oscar Chang
Photographer｜Pratya Jankong
Graphic Designer｜Amp Suwan
Lighting Designer｜Po-Yang Sung
Publicity Director｜ Yen-Yuan Chang

Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery (5-25 46th Avenue, Queens, NY 11101)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/islanders--tickets-340745528047?fbclid=IwAR01AlUwWezl32fuCTgcpHtmjGnmy2PyTbESI_ySkmOA8QuOEOUoTTu4xXU

The virtual reality exhibition LIMBOTOPIA, which was created by the independent Taiwanese VR artists Wen-Yee Hsieh(謝文毅) and Chun-Lien Cheng (鄭鈞聯), will make its North American premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival from June 11-19.

LIMBOTOPIA is a surrealist animated VR film from first-time Taiwanese director Wen-Yee Hsieh. Based on a unique architectural design, the experience takes you on a dream-like journey through a mysterious city. When a real location in Taiwan disappears due to the environmental crisis, the physical city reemerges on the other side.

Hsieh stated that “It may seem that I am unusual to others for becoming a VR developer as an architecture student,” but his academic background was instrumental in directing the film. Hsieh became a self-taught expert in order to create his own world, guided by his enthusiasm for filmmaking and knowledge of architectural blueprints and models.

The exhibition will be featured at NEW VOICES: extended reality (XR) during the Tribeca Immersive program, which showcases cutting-edge virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences by top artists. These artists use technology to push the boundaries of storytelling through impactful and emotionally engaging stories.

Tribeca’s free outdoor screenings will take place at the newly opened rooftop park Pier 57 and Brookfield Place from June 8-19, featuring films across a wide variety of genres and themes, including Juneteenth, the LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities, the environment, and music. The programming also includes family-friendly films for audiences of all ages. For the full lineup, please visit: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival?filteron=1&sections[]=118.

Programs scheduled to take place in June include conversations between many of the world’s most famous actors, performers, musicians, and entertainers. Guests include Taylor Swift, Seth Meyers, Robert De Niro, Ewan McGregor, and Tyler Perry. The festival also launched a digital platform, Tribeca at Home, to offer a selection of films that are exclusively available online.

LIMBOTOPIA Exhibition Information: 

Date: June 11 - 19
Location: Spring Studios, 50 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 (1st floor)
Daily Session Times:
Session 1: 12:00 pm – 4 pm
Session 2: 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
To purchase tickets, please visit: https://tribecafilm.com/films/limbotopia-2022.

All the demos featured during the festival will only be accessible using the Parsec App.
Tribeca's Game Demos can only be played during your scheduled time slot. To purchase tickets, please visit: https://tribecafilm.com/interactive-pass.