To continue bringing music and the arts closer to residents’ everyday lives and putting cultural equity into practice, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government has installed a public piano in the first-floor lobby of Tun District Art Center from now through August 19. During opening hours, visitors are welcome to experience playing a No. 3 grand piano free of charge. The Bureau has also specially invited the Hsin-Le All-Age Development Association and a band formed by performers with Down syndrome from the association to present a surprise pop-up performance, weaving piano and ocarina melodies into a moving musical chapter of life. The performance also serves as a warm-up for the “Hsin-Le Ocarina Heart: Tang Tang Love” concert, which will take place on August 15. Children and adults are welcome to come, show their musical talents, enjoy the performance, and create colorful summer memories.
Chia-Chun Chen, Director-General of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, said that since the Bureau first installed a public piano at Dadun Cultural Center in 2024, the initiative has received wide acclaim. To allow residents to interact naturally with music and the arts in daily life and to convey the warm value of cultural equity, Chung Shan Hall, Tun District Art Center, and Huludun Cultural Center are also holding public piano activities during the summer break. Tun District Art Center has specially invited performers with Down syndrome from the Hsin-Le All-Age Development Association to serve as music promotion ambassadors and take part in workshops for the technology and interdisciplinary arts special exhibition. Through beautiful and moving music and artistic experiences, the initiative promotes equal access to the arts and allows the public to feel that art knows no boundaries.
Tun District Art Center explained that the Hsin-Le All-Age Development Association has long been dedicated to serving people with disabilities and individuals with special needs across all age groups, with a particular focus on music therapy for children with Down syndrome. The association’s “Da-Chi Band”, “Da-Li Band”, and “Da-Chiang Band” are formed by young people with Down syndrome who love music. They were also invited to give a wonderful performance at last year’s 2025 National Day Celebration. Through tens of thousands of repeated practices, they demonstrate a resilience in life that goes beyond words. This pop-up event specially invited pianist I-Ching Tsai and her daughter Hsin-Yu Hung to perform together with the performers with Down syndrome, presenting classic pieces including “A Grateful Heart” and “Bāng Chhun-hong”. The graceful and moving melodies deeply touched the audience on site. The association will also hold the “Hsin-Le Ocarina Heart: Tang Tang Love” concert at the auditorium of Tun District Art Center on Saturday, August 15. Interested visitors are welcome to attend and show their support.
Tun District Art Center’s public piano experience activity, “Play the Piano Together”, coincides with the “A Fantasy Journey Beginning in Tun District: 2026 Technology and Interdisciplinary Arts Special Exhibition”, which runs through August 9. The exhibition has also received support from companies including Juting Machinery Co., Ltd. and Mulin Marketing Co., Ltd. for related technology and interdisciplinary arts public welfare projects. In the exhibition area, unique “future creature” creations by the Hsin-Le All-Age Development Association, the South Taichung Center of the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, and sponsoring companies echo I-Lin Chang’s work “Speculative Natural History: Bio Nature X Computational Species Project”. Visitors are welcome to take the opportunity to visit the exhibition and discover its highlights.
We sincerely invite the public to visit the Tun District Arts Center and experience the charm of performing on a No. 3 grand piano. The public piano will be open for use from now through August 19, excluding Mondays when the center is closed. Daily experience hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and each person may play for five minutes in principle. The center also calls on everyone to observe the usage guidelines and take good care of the instrument. For more information, please visit the official website of Tun District Art Center (https://www.ttdac.taichung.gov.tw/) or its Facebook page.