The Preparatory Office of the Weiwuying Center for the Arts officially removed its plaque on Aug. 31 in preparation for the venue's grand opening in October as the newly renamed National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts.
Established in 2007, the preparatory office was tasked with the supervision of Taiwan's largest cultural infrastructure project of the past three decades. Apart from coordinating the venue's construction, the office also organized a flagship program devoted to mentoring new talent and piquing the interest of local audience members through masterclasses and performances.
With funding from the Executive Yuan's New Ten Major Construction Projects and support from the Ministry of Culture and the Public Construction Commission, the preparatory office successfully carried out its responsibilities over an 11-year period and will now close its doors on Sept. 10.
Operations of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts shall be transferred to the National Performing Arts Center (NPAC), an administrative corporation responsible for the structural upgrade of the arts education and cultural environment in Taiwan.
Under NPAC, Kaohsiung's Weiwuying will join the National Theater and Concert Hall in northern Taiwan and the National Taichung Theater in central Taiwan as a triad of world-class performance centers aimed at strengthening the caliber of performing arts in Taiwan.
The center will open its doors with "Weiwuying Grand Opening Season," offering over 70 performances and workshops in theater, circus arts, dance, music, and interdisciplinary works from Oct. 13 through Dec. 31.
Over 170 top artists from Taiwan and abroad will participate, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel, Mariss Jansons and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the renowned organist Iveta Apkalna, who will be among the first artists to perform at the center's vineyard-style concert hall.
A special gala program celebrating Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's 45th anniversary and the enduring works of its founder Lin Hwai-min will also grace the center in December.