Taipei Music Center to become icon for Asian pop music: officials

Taipei, Aug. 10 (CNA) The soon to be inaugurated Taipei Music Center (TMC), which will hold its opening concert next month, will become a new icon for popular music in Asia, officials said Monday.

The 8.96-hectare popular music center, which has separate concert and exhibition halls, music classrooms, rehearsal rooms, offices, and recording studios, will officially be launched on Sept. 5, said Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) at a press conference.

Tsai envisioned the center becoming a venue for pop music performances and the pop music industry, as well as a training center for music artists. "The center will be like a diamond that lights up the area," he said.

The angular, shell-shaped concert hall can accommodate up to 6,000 people, while the exhibition hall will be the first ever in Taiwan completely dedicated to pop music, the TMC said on its website.

In addition to the classrooms and studios, the complex is also home to four live music houses that each accommodate between 200 and 1,600 people, the TMC said.

An outdoor plaza that is 100 meters long and 35 meters wide can also accommodate up to 3,000 people, the TMC said.

The center, first planned in 2008, is expected to serve as an important catalyst in the development of popular music in Taiwan, said Tseng Chin-man (曾金滿), head of the Department of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development under the Ministry of Culture.

"We hope the positive energy generated from the performances at the center can also reach all parts of the country, as well as Asia and the rest of the world," Tseng said.

The TMC is planning a star-studded cast for its opening ceremony concert on Sept. 5 that will include Taiwanese singer-songwriters Waa Wei (魏如萱), Lala Hsu (徐佳瑩), and Oaeen, the new name of legendary Taiwanese band Sodagreen, the music center said in a statement.

Tickets for the opening ceremony concert will go on sale Aug. 15, the TMC said.

In addition, a free outdoor concert will also be held in the afternoon of Sept. 5, featuring American singer Karencici (林愷倫), Singaporean actress and singer-songwriter Boon Hui Lu (文慧如), and Taiwanese pop duo MurMurShow (慢慢說樂團), indie pop rock band Accusefive (告五人), and rappers PiHai Ryan (屁孩 Ryan) and Shou (婁峻碩), the TMC said.