Seven Chapters of Life: The Taiwanese Songs of Wei Bin Chen

Birth, Road, Home, Illness, Love, Old Age, Death: Life’s Love in Taiwanese Song

Poet and songwriter Wei Bin Chen has made writing poetry and songs in Taiwanese a life’s calling, promoting Taiwanese-language song through many years of songwriting and expressing a deep love for Taiwan’s people, culture, and land. Following “Healing Hearts, Stolen Joys” (醫心盜樂) and “Song of the Land” (大地之歌), Chen now presents the “Life’s True Feelings” series. At its center is the new song cycle “Seven Chapters of Life” (人生七章), which interprets love through seven facets of life — birth, road, home, illness, love, old age, and death. Set to music by contemporary composer Chung-Yuan Yu, it receives its world premiere by the Taipei Chamber Singers. The concert also brings in Taipei HuaShin Children’s Chorus to perform a number of Chen’s new and classic songs, presenting and passing on the beauty of choral art set to Taiwanese poetry.