Singers, prodigy with cerebral palsy collaborate on Universiade song

2017/04/14

A song for the upcoming 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade jointly composed by a young musician with cerebral palsy and two leading Taiwan vocalists will be performed for the first time in May at a promotional concert for the games, the organizing committee for the international sports event announced April 11.

Ten-year-old Lin Yi wrote the track with Wu Yung-chi and Spark Chen, lead singers of Taiwan rock bands The Chairman and Quarterback, respectively. Titled “I am Here,” it is inspired by the struggles Lin faces every day as well as his courage and determination in overcoming them.

The singers decided to assist Lin, who uses computer software to compose music, after learning about his dream of producing a song for the Universiade, the largest sporting event ever staged in Taiwan. Prior to writing “I am Here” with the two rock stars, Lin submitted three tracks to a competition held by the Taipei City Government to find a theme song for the upcoming event.

Describing Lin as a prodigal talent, Wu said that the singers found it immensely gratifying to be able to use their professional expertise to bring his vision to life. With its focus on bravery and resolve, the track conveys the perseverance required to excel in sport, he added.

According to Chen, the vocalists were inspired by Lin’s positive energy and wanted to express this to the world through “I am Here.” An eight-minute documentary showcasing the production process and featuring snippets of the new work has been produced and is now available online.

Set to take place May 28 at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall’s Liberty Square plaza, the Universiade concert will be free to the public. “I am Here” will be one of three songs performed by a large singing section at the event, with the organizing committee seeking between 500 and 1,000 volunteers to help sing the tracks.

The Universiade, known in English as the World University Games, is an international sporting and cultural festival staged every two years in a different city worldwide. Slated to take place Aug. 19-30 in northern Taiwan, the 29th edition will involve 7,700-plus university athletes from 150 countries contesting 21 sports at 38 competition venues.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=113812)