Prof. Bernd Ruf from Musikhochschule Lübeck (MHL) conducted a big band crossover music workshop at TNUA in April.

More than students from the Department of Music, and the IMPACT (Interdisciplinary Multimedia Performing Arts Collaborative Technology) music program attended the one-week workshop.

In their discussions and rehearsals Prof. Ruf showed the workshop participants how to improvise and rearrange pieces combining classical, jazz and contemporary music.

Prof. Ruf, a pioneer in promoting crossover between classical and popular music, visited Taiwan for the first time in 2015, conducting GermanPops Orchestra in indie band Sodagreen’s concert.

The big band was a form of jazz ensemble popular from the 1930s to 1950s. The big band formed by the participants of Prof. Ruf’s workshop included trombone, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, oboe, piano, bass and jazz drum players.

The big band gave a concert on April 11 to demonstrate what they had learnt at the workshop. They played a number of pieces, including: Oliver Nelson’s “Early Morning”; Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone”; Dieter Mack’s “Sunda Jive” and “Xaveriana”; Heiner Wiberny & Arr. Peter Herbolzheimer’s “Ulla in Africa”; and Jakob Lakner’s “Balkan Nights.”
 
The workshop and concert were part of the preparations for a joint concert between MHL and TNUA musicians at the 2017 Kuandu Arts Festival in October.

The workshop was a “mini course” designed to give students more varieties and flexibilities in their learning.

TNUA offers mini courses starting from Academic Year 2016. Students taking mini courses do not have to complete a full semester of learning before receiving any credits. They could receive 0.1 credit for attending a two-hour mini course.