Small Island Big Song (小島大歌), a unique music, film, and performing arts project, is set to embark on its 2024 US Tour in February. The project serves as a powerful medium for uniting the islands of the Pacific and Indian Ocean through artistic collaboration, offering a contemporary and relevant musical statement from a region that shares an ancient seafaring heritage and grapples with the impact of our changing seas.
Founded by Taiwanese theater producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer/filmmaker Tim Cole, Small Island Big Song was born out of a shared concern for the predicted effects of climate change on oceanic nations. Over eight years, the couple visited over a hundred artists, activists, elders, and youths across 16 island nations who continue the cultural lineage of their islands through music. Guided by cultural insights, they recorded songs in nature and shared them from island to island, fostering collaboration among song-keepers using languages and instruments evolved through generations of living with nature on small islands.
With successful tours in 19 countries, including the US, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Europe, Small Island Big Song has captivated over 200,000 live audiences. The team is set to embark on its latest 2-month US tour starting February 2024, covering 13 states and approximately 20 performing arts venues throughout the nation.
The tour centerpiece is the multimedia performance, 'Our Island,' an inspiring combination of song, spoken word, and cinematic visuals. The performance brings together some of the most prominent artists from Taiwan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, and Tahiti. These artists have chosen to preserve the cultural voice of their people by singing in their native languages and playing the instruments of their lands. Notably, two Taiwanese Songwriters/Performers, Putad and Yuma Pawang, represent Taiwan’s Amis (阿美族) and Atayal (泰雅族) tribes, respectively.
Music critic Tom Orr, in the RootsWorld review, remarked, “Small Island Big Song sounds like one very big, very happy family doing what they do best while helping get the word out on a most serious issue.” Rob Schwartz of Billboard described the live visuals in the concert as creating “beautiful cinematography and incredible music, one coherent, jaw-dropping piece.”
For more information about Small Island Big Song and their upcoming US tour, please visit: https://www.smallislandbigsong.com/
Project Trailer: https://youtu.be/NAHKy7uXYTk?si=wuuDNzcAwXuOJ7nI