The inaugural Chinese-language music festival, Jade Music Festival (玉石音樂嘉年華) will run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 in Vancouver, Canada. As a beacon for the representation of Chinese-language music and musicians, the festival will present a slate of Chinese-language artists, including those from Taiwan.
The festival will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Playhouse, and the ANNEX. Featured artists from Taiwan include Hakka singer Huang Yu-han (黃宇寒), and musicians Lefan (樂凡), Katree (徐暘), and Kerr Lee (李冠毅).
Huang, who will be performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, was nominated twice for Best Hakka Singer at the Golden Melody Awards with her albums "Someday (有時有日)" and "Return to Reality (虛空現下)." "Story Power (故事力)," her latest album which adopted a new style of singing, was released in October. Inspired by their diverse life experiences, Lefan, Katree, and Lee will present unique musical styles. It is hoped that the power of music will transcend culture and language, and touch the heart of the audience.
Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Jeff Bova, who is also one of the writers of singer Jolin Tsai's (蔡依林) song "Lady in Red (紅衣女孩)," will be hosting a workshop to share his story through music and discuss how we can support the underrepresented voices of Asian talent in North America.
Managing Director of SWACT Charlie Wu (吳權益) stated that Jade Music Festival focuses on the elevation and normalization of Chinese-language music in Canada. And that the festival aims to connect Asian music industries with the western world.
The festival is a production of The Society of We Are Canadians Too, and has been supported through Amplify BC's Music Industry Initiatives program. A series of networking opportunities, forums, and live performances will also be held during the week-long festival.
(Photo courtesy of Katree and Lefan)