TORONTO—Music producer, singer, sound engineer, songwriter, and musician Paul Carroll said Shen Yun Performing Arts told stories not only through its presentations of classical Chinese dance, but also its exotic, yet accessible East-meets-West orchestra.

“It’s the best representation I’ve ever heard of Chinese culture,” he said of the music of Shen Yun, which is performed by a philharmonic orchestra that has Chinese instruments leading the melodies.

“It’s fantastic. I’ve studied some Chinese music before. The erhu and [other instruments], with the different Asian scales and tonalities, the different modes that typically Asian music and Chinese music can be in—I find this very accessible to a Western audience,” Mr. Carroll said.

I just think it’s excellent.

— Paul Carroll, Music Producer

“They’ve blended enough traditional Chinese elements and scales with more familiar orchestral things that make it very accessible and easy to participate in and follow along what the melody is, what the rhythm is, etc. So I just think it’s excellent.”

Mr. Carroll learned to play 19 instruments by the time he finished high school. He started travelling with various bands at 15. Over the next five years, he had played more than 800 venues, including a stint in Los Angeles as a session musician.

After university, he worked as the master controller for CBC Yellowknife and ran a recording studio. He worked as a producer, contributing composer, engineer, and performer in the Oscar-nominated score for “The Passion of the Christ.”

Mr. Carroll also created scores for the 2002 Gemini and Genie Award show, feature films both domestic and international, short-films, and television themes. In addition, he performed as a drummer at the Junos in 2004 after touring with Bill Bourne, a three-time Juno Winner. He is co-founder of recording studio Private Records. He released Dream Machine in 2010, playing every instrument on the album.

New York-based Shen Yun is dedicated to the mission of reviving the authentic traditional culture of China through world-class productions of classical Chines dance, folk and ethnic dance, and original songs and musical scores.

Music Tells the Story

A hallmark of Shen Yun is its story-based dances inspired by beloved myths and legends as well as tales from contemporary China that reflect the spiritual essence of the ancient culture and its principles, such as benevolence, wisdom, honour, and reverence for the divine.

Mr. Carroll spoke from experience when he praised the musical accompaniments to the storytelling.

“The compositions I find represent the stories very well, so when the story is about Monkey [King] coming down, the music matches the content, and that’s always the biggest challenge,” he said.

“When you learn how to understand music or write music, it’s like a vocabulary. So that’s nice, now you understand the vocabulary.”

He noted the significant role that music plays in conveying and enhancing the story.

“I think the music tells a story just as well as the images do, and just as well as the dancing does. It matches the mystery, the playfulness, the, I guess you could say, nearly flirtation sometimes, and then the struggle with the piece that was about the man being persecuted. It was very good. It’s epic, and grand, and still intimate,” he said.

“I enjoyed the symbolism and understanding the culture,” Mr. Carroll said. “It’s not just pretty dance and pretty costumes. The story of the gods and the whole meaning inside things, I find, is the most exciting part.”

Moving and Magical

With him was his wife, Nancy Carroll, a marketing leader and strategist, non-fiction writer, and president of Private Records.

She said Shen Yun opens a window into Chinese culture that lets audiences shrink the gap between cultures.

“The idea that we are and can all be one while we’re learning about one another’s history is really magical … a magical mysterious unfolding, and I think it’s something that we long for. Our deepest parts of ourselves, we long to be feeling like we can be included and part of something that’s bigger than ourselves and our lives,” she said.

It’s a wonderful show, and it’s visually spectacular.

— Nancy Carroll, President, Private Records

“So it’s magical to be able to watch that depicted as if you’re peeking into history, but you’re peeking into humanity, which is really moving. I think it’s been so well integrated that way.”

Mrs. Carroll noted that the production was engaging for her from multiple aspects.

“It’s a wonderful show, and it’s visually spectacular. And it just pulls you right into the story that’s being told, so it involves you on many levels. It really is a beautiful show.”

Mrs. Carroll has had an award-winning career in marketing and brand management for top cosmetic firms that included stints as VP of sales and marketing.

In 2009, she took the reins as President at Private Records where she is currently setting the vision and developing strategy. A classically trained singer, she released her first CD, Soon, this month.

Reporting by Yu Jingting and Matthew Little.

Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will continue on to Mississauga for five shows at the Living Arts Centre January 19-22.

For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.