♪♪ ♪♪ Hello!

My name is Wu Han, and together with David Finckel, I am the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID pandemic through countless lives into turmoil and the global shutdown left many musicians and live performance organizations worried about their futures.

For eight months, CMS was only able to offer digital video recordings to our audiences worldwide, and no one knew when we would see our beloved audiences live again.

It came somewhat as a miracle that our tour to Taiwan that December -- a tour no one thought would come to pass -- was given the green light to proceed after countless other concert cancellations.

Despite obstacles around every corner, from ever-changing flight schedules, numerous COVID tests, difficult visa approvals, and a two-week quarantine in Taipei, seven CMS artists successfully made it into Taiwan in late November, and gave five live concerts, six master classes, and a number of educational outreach activities throughout the month of December, spending nearly six weeks, including quarantine.

CMS was the first American ensemble to embark on a concert tour to Taiwan since performances were stopped in March 2020 in the U.S.

The two-week quarantine was not an easy task.

The moment we were locked into individual rooms, we knew that we had to spend Thanksgiving alone in quarantine.

Besides daily music practice, we supported each other during the quarantine by doing Zoom exercise in the afternoon led by one of the musicians, and me calling Zoom dinner every night to share our daily stories, our presenter sending Peking duck for our Thanksgiving dinner, and friends sent us delicious local food to cheer us up.

There were ups and downs during those two weeks.

We worried after being regularly fed three meals a day about how we could fit into our performance dresses with our normal daily activities.

It was pretty hard to be locked in a room without one step outside of it for two weeks, but artists all knew that we were doing it for one reason.

This short documentary is a window into that extraordinary December trip -- a behind-the-scenes look at something unprecedented -- a chamber music tour during pandemic.

Beginning when our group was released from quarantine, the film will highlight performances at the Taiwan National Concert Hall and the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts -- Weiwuying -- along with a visit to the spectacular Chimei Museum, which houses a jaw-dropping array of priceless instruments that they generously allowed us to explore.

It also covers our outreach visits to area high schools, the demonstrations, lectures, and master classes that were giving at universities throughout the island, and an exceptional collaboration concert with musicians of the Taiwan Philharmonic.

I must of course mention that the artists on this visit included violinists Kristin Lee and Rich Lin, violists Yura Lee and Matthew Lipman, cellists Dmitri Atapine and Keith Robertson, and myself on piano.

This trip would not have been possible without the hard work of many people and institutions, and we want to especially thank our partners, the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts -- Weiwuying -- and Bach Inspiration Music & Culture Association, as well as our sponsor, the Chimei Foundation, along with our friend at the Taiwan Philharmonic.

This was an experience that will never be forgotten, and CMS is grateful to have been able to make this visit.

Enjoy.

[ Classical music playing ] ♪♪ [ Elevator dings ] [ Indistinct chatter and cheering ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Speaking English ] ♪♪ Hi!

We did it, everybody!

It feels different!

[ Laughter ] Feels different out here!

Aww!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Speaking Mandarin ] [ Playing ] [ Cheering and applause ] [ Playing ] ♪♪ [ Cheering and applause ] [ Speaking English ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Speaking Mandarin ] ♪♪ [ Speaking English ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Playing ] ♪♪ [ Cheering and applause ] [ Playing ] Allegro -- [indistinct] -- but not too fast.

I need phrases to end, I need, uh... Ready?

[Indistinct] [ Laughter ] [ Plays note ] Yeah!

[ Playing, laughter ] There's a little bit of panic in the eyes.

[Indistinct] You could just float... [ Playing ] Yes!

Oh, yes!

[ Applause, laughter ] [ Indistinct, laughter ] ♪♪ [ Applause ] [ Playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Exclaims, laughter ] ♪♪ [ Speaking Mandarin ] [ Cheering ] [ Playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [Indistinct] -- when you have quarter notes... ♪♪ [ Muffled speech ] ♪♪ [ Speaking English ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Wu Han speaking English ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Speaking Mandarin ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheering and applause ] Man: One, two -- okay!

Okay.

[ Indistinct chatter ] [ All exclaim ] [ Tentative plucking ] [ Tuning ] [ Laughter ] [ Playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Speaking English ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Ooh!

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Both imitating low note ] Yeah!

[ Musicians playing ] ♪♪ Amazing!

Lower!

Yeah, lower!

[ Plays low note, they laugh ] ♪♪ [ Plays low note, they laugh ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheering and applause ] Yay!

[ Both laughing ] [ Applause ] [ Playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Yes!

[ Cheering and applause ] Oh, yeah!

First of many.

Oh, thanks, thanks.

Thank you.

You're a pro!

Yura!

Oh!

Thank you so -- [ Indistinct chatter and laughter ] Ah!

[ Chuckles ] [ Inaudible ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Yura Lee ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Richard Lin ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Keith Robinson ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Matthew Lipman ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Chuckles ] [ Dmitri Atapine ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Wu Han ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Don't use that footage!

[ Laughing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I really appreciate it!

♪♪ Man: Okay!

You're like, "Pluck, pluck, pluck!"

♪♪ Group hug!

♪♪ [ Cheering and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪