To help young Taiwanese musicians engage with the broader music community, the Taiwan branch office of global arts organization Living Arts International (LAI Taiwan Office) has partnered with Ethno Sweden, the biggest folk music camp in Europe, to offer two full scholarships to a week-long traditional music workshop in the Scandinavian host country. Open to Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals aged 17 to 25, the program will accept applications through April 10.
Tentatively scheduled for June 25 to July 3, two musicians from Taiwan will be invited to partake in workshops, jamming sessions, improvisational activities, and performances in the central Swedish region of Rättvik with more than 100 young musicians from all over the world. Through peer-to-peer learning, the Taiwanese duo will be introduced to diverse and rich musical elements and create new music styles with the support of their respective artistic mentors.
While the scholarship covers fees for international travel and transport, among other costs, they provide more than a source of funding. Scholarship holders receive the opportunity to share their musical and cultural heritage whilst setting in motion future transnational artistic projects and collaborations in a culturally inclusive environment.
The workshop is part of the Ethno Program, which was launched in 1990 by Jeunesses Musicales International, the largest non-governmental organization dedicated to youth music, to revive global cultural heritage among future decision-makers. Related events have been held in Cambodia, India, Uganda, and other countries.
New York-based Living Arts International registered its Taipei office as "Living Arts International Taiwan Office (LAI Taiwan Office)" in 2018 and has since been operating from the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab to foster intercultural dialogues, nurture new talent, and explore cross-cultural opportunities.
Under LAI Taiwan Office's partnership with Ethno Cambodia and Ethno Sweden, two Taiwanese musicians, Yang Ji-po (楊智博), who performs with a traditional mouth-blown instrument consisting of vertical pipes known as sheng (笙), and bamboo flutist Chang Yu-jen (章玉人) took part in the 2019 Ethno Cambodia workshop.
Full scholarship application details are available here.