PhotoGong Cosmos
TextBecky Tu
Don Conreaux is the United Nations Ambassador for Peace and an international gong master. He is nearly 90 years old and will return to Taiwan in February at the invitation of "Gong Cosmos," as it has been 8 years since his last performance in Taiwan. Don is regarded as a worldwide pioneer in sound and has founded the international gong performance and healing system for over 50 years. He has toured the world tens of thousands of times, trained many gong yoga therapists, and spent his life promoting gong peace awareness.
This time Don will hold a concert, an academic exchange, and a drama performance in Taiwan. The concert “Gonging for Humanity” will be performed by him and international harmonics master Mark van Tonger. The theatrical performance, “Multiverse in Emptiness,” features performance artist and the founder of the Natural Kind Academy, Billy Chang, as the artistic director of dance and stage, incorporating unprecedented levels of Taiwanese elements.
Mark van Tonger has a doctorate in music and has devoted himself to the promotion of music therapy. He is also a passionate researcher of the music from Taiwan's aboriginal and Hakka communities and participates in paSta'ay (Saisiyat Dwarf Festival) yearly.
Don and Mark will collaborate on “Gonging for Humanity,” a gong jazz concert with an ensemble of instruments symbolizing the five continents and four oceans. In addition, Don's universal greeting, which he delivered at the United Nations General Assembly, will also be sung in Chinese, English, and Taiwanese versions during the concert, paying respects to Taiwan’s Peace Memorial Day.
Overcoming Thousands of Challenges in Pursuit of the Dream of Becoming a Master
Julie, the director of Gong Cosmos, who invited Don to Taiwan, is Don’s apprentice and has spared no effort in promoting sound healing. In 2015, she invited Don to Taiwan for the first time to teach and tour, officially introducing Gongs to Taiwan. To aid Don in the pursuit of promoting gongs for healing, she combined the efforts of many to make the event take shape.
Catherine, who Julie and Mark van Tonger have taught, is currently the director of Ananda Healing House; she described the event as something one cannot miss out on. “Don is a world-class gong master. There is none like him.” Catherine will also participate in the gong play “Multiverse in Emptiness.”
Looking Inward and Bringing Back Childhood Memories
The gong drama “Multiverse in Emptiness” to be performed in Kaohsiung is an experimental theater performance, with performance artist Billy Chang as the dance and stage art director. The masks used in the play are custom designed and tailor-made by the founder of Headspring Theatre, Chang Wang, with the design's emphasis on Eastern spirituality.
After three days of training, the performers choreographed their dance steps, lines, chants, and arrangements, conceptualized the performance's flow, and rehearsed musical instruments. Billy Chang stimulated the performers’ creativity surrounding the gongs.
Academic Research on Music Therapy
Music therapy is gradually gaining attention in the academic world, and many music departments with master's and doctoral academia have established groups for music therapy. There are also about 50 papers studies on this topic. Don will share his over 60 years of teaching and case experience and discuss the current state of development of sound therapy worldwide and its applications in healthcare systems.
Don Conreaux Asia Tour Hong Kong Clip
Introduction of Gong Cosmos
Gong Cosmos is the first officially registered gongs performance group in Taiwan. In addition to teaching various kinds of sound-healing musical instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, and whirl tubes, they also promote gong baths, gong festivals, gong concerts, and other activities while introducing international gong training courses.
Registration link: 2/24 3/2 3/5
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