Osmanthus Concert

On the eve of Mother's Day, the Rare Welfare Center organized its first professional music performance, with 36 students from the National Taipei University Wind Band, the winner of the 2022 National Wind Band Competition, paying a visit to the center and performing. The concert attended by nearly 200 people invited by TFRD, including local residents, sponsors, families with rare diseases from Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli, as well as the Northern Heavenly Melody Choir, made its grand entrance.

Early in the morning, Ruth, the Executive Director of the TFRD, guided the students to visit the barrier-free space designed for patients. Students from different departments got to experience the daily inconveniences faced by the patients, thus fostering empathy and compassion among the students. The conductor Zou Jia-hong said, "The facilities on site are so well designed that I would like to bring the members of the junior high school bands here next year for them to realize what social responsibility is all about."

Later in the afternoon, the guests were seated one after another and carnations for Mother's Day had also been prepared. The wind band started the concert with a majestic performance, followed by a number of pieces. At the end of the concert, the audience could not get enough of it, with a series of "encores". The conductor led the band to interact with the audience with a HandClap, and even challenged the audience with a double speed version, making it a truly unforgettable and special musical experience. This concert of osmanthus came to an end amidst deafening applause and laughter.

Translator: David Lee (Becker Muscular Dystrophy)