TAIWANfest presents its annual Opening Ceremony Symphony Concert virtually through “The Island and the Maple Leaf”. Inspired by the Taiwanese people’s aspirations for joy across the world and the Canadian people’s pursuit to leave a legacy for the future, let the music uplift spirits around us.

“The Island and the Maple Leaf” is making its digital premiere with moving performances by an orchestra in Toronto and one in Taiwan. Led by Maestro Ken Hsieh in Toronto, the musicians themselves will also engage in musical dialogue and conversation throughout the event and share what music means to them, especially during these times. They will be joined by the young musicians of Chin-Ai Music, the first and only Indigenous string orchestra in Taiwan. Using music to heal the soul, it is an enlightening event that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographical barriers, bridging together people of different cultures and backgrounds to remind us of the good that can be made when we all come together.