Invisible Solitude

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see.”
-Theodore Roethke
It was one night in high school that I found myself falling in love with playing in the complete dark. With the Largo movement of the Bach C major sonata, I not only was able to hear better, but in a way, I see better.
In the past few years, I had the most growth and reflection during solitary. It reminded me of how connected I was with myself and my surroundings that night. Therefore this project was born.
I hope to bring you the same sense of peace during this hour. I hope to create a safe space for you to let go and to connect to yourselves I hope to create an environment as if you were listening in a dark room in a quiet night at home. I invite you to allow yourselves to be vulnerable, immerse yourselves in the air, whatever it means to you. You may close your eyes, meditate, rest, smile, weep...or, just simple breath. Let your souls be free, let your imaginations flow, let your minds wander, let your artistic selves take over. I ask you to refrain from applauding until the very end of the hour, as you are a part of this creation. Welcome, and thank you for being here.
“Until we experience the freedom of solitude, we cannot connect
authentically.”
-Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
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Sheng-Ching Hsu, violin
A firm believer in the power of music, Sheng-Ching Hsu created “S-C Sidewalk Performance”where she brought weekly live music to the street corners of West LA during the pandemic. “S-C Sidewalk Performance” brought comfort and hope to many people during the time of isolation, and was featured on KTTV Fox 11 Los Angeles and EliteGen Magazine in Toronto, Canada. Her story was also made into a documentary by “Aria’s Lens” in China.
A native of Taiwan, Sheng-Ching was six years old when she made her first
public appearance as both violinist and pianist at the National Cheng- Kung
University, Taiwan. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center Stage on Holland
America Line, Walt Disney Hall, Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile),

Remonstrantse Kerk in Alkmaar (The Netherlands), Théâtre de l’Île- Saint-
Louis (Paris), and National Recital Hall (Taiwan), among others.

Sheng-Ching is a core member of Delirium Musicum, a self-conducted string chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles. She serves as concertmaster in Iranshahr Orchestra and principal 2nd violin of St. Matthew's Chamber
Orchestra, she is also a member of California Symphony and New West
Symphony. Sheng-Ching has given solo recitals in Europe, North America,
South America and Asia, and has performed with Ensemble 212 and Old York Road Symphony as a soloist. Sheng-Ching enjoys discovering new techniques and sounds that she has worked with many living composers, including recent recording of two works by Robert Sirota for commercial release, as well as premiering commissioned works by Apple Chang and Shahab Paranj. Her interest in the impact of music on motion picture led Sheng-Ching to perform in the debut of “BBC Frozen Planet Live,” scored by award-winning composer George Fenton.
Sheng-Ching serves as a faculty at California State University - Long Beach, as well as Colburn Community School of Performing Arts and International
Chamber Music Alaska. Sheng-Ching is also a sought-after music arranger.
Her latest commissions include the National Anthem for the New York Knicks’ Lunar New Year Game in Madison Square Garden. She arranges a wide variety of music, and has worked with ensembles such as the New Asia Chamber Music Society, the Amphion String Quartet, the Lincoln Center Stage Quintet and the Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra. In addition, her arrangements have been performed at New York Fashion Week, Times Square Flash Mob, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Sheng-Ching earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook
University, Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor of Music from the Mannes School of Music. Her major teachers include Catherine Cho, Christina Khimm, Itzhak Perlman, Aaron Rosand, Philip Setzer and Arnaud Sussmann.
Sheng-Ching’s instruments were generously sponsored by CHIMEI foundation in Taiwan throughout her studies. (www.shengchinghsu.com)
this performance will be done without official intermission, just a brief break in between.