Golden Melodys celebrate beauty of traditional arts

2015/08/04

The 26th Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music took place Aug. 1 in Taipei City, spotlighting the creative talents of 142 artists submitting 157 albums and 2,254 pieces, according to the Ministry of Culture.

“Traditional arts are priceless cultural treasure of Taiwan as they represent the lifelong dedication of an artist to perfecting a creation or performance,” MOC Minister Hung Meng-chi said at the awards ceremony. “These works also serve as a timeless snapshot of the country’s cultural development and landscape.”

A total of 16 awards were shared by nine local artists such as Chen Yu-an and Tseng Yu-chien, as well as seven arts groups including Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe and Sunrise International Entertainment Corp.

Miaoli County-based Rom Shing won the awards for Best Annual Group Performance and Traditional Performing Arts Video Publication on the strength of its Hakka-style interpretation of Shakespeare’s long-lost play “Cardenio,” adapted by National Taiwan University professor Perng Ching-hsi.

Special Award for Drama Performances went to veteran Taiwan opera actor Lu Fu-lu, who was recognized for devoting more than 60 years to promoting the art. Lu’s career spans the development of Taiwanese opera from open-air theater to television broadcasting and art house performance. He is living testament to the constantly evolving genre.

Tseng Yu-chien—top place-getter at this year’s International Tchaikovsky Competition—claimed Best Interpretation Award for “Sarasate Violin Pieces,” a collaboration with longtime sponsor Chimei Museum in Tainan City.

“I am touched to receive my first-ever Golden Melody Award and am genuinely grateful to Chimei for its generous and kind support along the way,” Tseng said, adding that he will continue his efforts and take violin art to the next level.

Founders of Taipei-based Sunrise Records Chang Bi and Lin Min-shan won a Special Award for Publication. As Taiwan’s first international label, Sunrise recorded and promoted many works by local musicians, including some of the best-known pieces by the late Ma Shui-long, who also won two awards posthumously this year.

“My one true aim is to make Taiwan’s voice heard around the world,” Chang said. “By working with global labels, we are making traditional Taiwan music available abroad while providing a stage for local classical, jazz and pop musicians.”

The event was crowned with a competition among all Best New Performer nominees. Chen Yu-an of Holo Taiwanese Opera Troupe reaffirmed her reputation as a headline act of tomorrow, emerging victorious with a highly acclaimed stage presence and vocal technique.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=233267&ctNode=413)