2024
2024
¡Sinophone! Series
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
About the Program
This program is a combination of Jacqueline's original compositions and some of her favourite Taiwanese classics made famous by Teresa Teng, arranged to suit the jazz and R&B genres that are so integral to Jacqueline's musical sound. Jacqueline's late grandfather loved music and singing, and even played a key role in sponsoring Teresa Teng's performance in Vietnam back in the 1970's. In a way, the inclusion of these songs in the program, alongside her own music, is a way for Jacqueline to feel connected to her grandfather, despite losing him at a young age. It is a tribute to the passion for music that has been lovingly passed on from generation to generation in her family.
This performance will feature an ensemble made up of all Asian jazz musicians, which is especially important to Jacqueline as she recalls feeling a lack of Asian representation back when she was a student in jazz school. She hopes that with this ensemble, she can be the representation that she searched for in the early stages of her career and she wishes to empower other young Asian musicians as they begin their creative journeys.
Juno Award-winning songwriter Jacqueline Teh is widely recognized for her captivating vocal arrangements and limitless songwriting. Her voice, as described by CBC Music, is “a summer breeze - warm and inviting”. Jacqueline’s songwriting can be found on Sammy Jackson’s Juno Award-winning album “With You” and her innovative writing style with jazz/R&B ensemble Moodset has earned her an award through TD Jazz Festival’s Discovery Series.
In 2020, Jacqueline’s songwriting caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning artist Anderson .Paak, who expressed an interest in producing one of her original songs and has remarked on her songwriting “[...] wow your writing style is unique! No one writes real songs like this no more!” Jacqueline is currently based in Markham and Toronto, Ontario. Along with her songwriting endeavours, Jacqueline also cares deeply about music education and accessibility in the arts.
She is currently on faculty at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music in the Jazz Area, where she teaches jazz voice and directs the Small Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and she is serving as the executive director and choral conductor for St. James Town Community Arts, a non-profit organisation providing free arts education to children and youth in St. James Town.
“Sinophone” refers to anyone who is Chinese-speaking, across the broad spectrum of the Sinitic languages. This series of programs is co-presented by Jade Music Fest and TAIWANfest. ¡Sinophone! aims to promote the diversity of Chinese-language music and showcase artists from different countries, music genres, dialects, as well as encourage the long-term cultural and music exchange between the East and the West.
You may also be interested:
¡Sinophone! – Road to…
¡Sinophone! – Refuge
From the Curating Team
Through the universal languages of dance and music, TAIWANfest explores intercultural connections in flamenco dance, Chinese-language music, and more.
About the Program
This program is a combination of Jacqueline's original compositions and some of her favourite Taiwanese classics made famous by Teresa Teng, arranged to suit the jazz and R&B genres that are so integral to Jacqueline's musical sound. Jacqueline's late grandfather loved music and singing, and even played a key role in sponsoring Teresa Teng's performance in Vietnam back in the 1970's. In a way, the inclusion of these songs in the program, alongside her own music, is a way for Jacqueline to feel connected to her grandfather, despite losing him at a young age. It is a tribute to the passion for music that has been lovingly passed on from generation to generation in her family.
This performance will feature an ensemble made up of all Asian jazz musicians, which is especially important to Jacqueline as she recalls feeling a lack of Asian representation back when she was a student in jazz school. She hopes that with this ensemble, she can be the representation that she searched for in the early stages of her career and she wishes to empower other young Asian musicians as they begin their creative journeys.
Juno Award-winning songwriter Jacqueline Teh is widely recognized for her captivating vocal arrangements and limitless songwriting. Her voice, as described by CBC Music, is “a summer breeze - warm and inviting”. Jacqueline’s songwriting can be found on Sammy Jackson’s Juno Award-winning album “With You” and her innovative writing style with jazz/R&B ensemble Moodset has earned her an award through TD Jazz Festival’s Discovery Series.
In 2020, Jacqueline’s songwriting caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning artist Anderson .Paak, who expressed an interest in producing one of her original songs and has remarked on her songwriting “[...] wow your writing style is unique! No one writes real songs like this no more!” Jacqueline is currently based in Markham and Toronto, Ontario. Along with her songwriting endeavours, Jacqueline also cares deeply about music education and accessibility in the arts.
She is currently on faculty at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music in the Jazz Area, where she teaches jazz voice and directs the Small Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and she is serving as the executive director and choral conductor for St. James Town Community Arts, a non-profit organisation providing free arts education to children and youth in St. James Town.
“Sinophone” refers to anyone who is Chinese-speaking, across the broad spectrum of the Sinitic languages. This series of programs is co-presented by Jade Music Fest and TAIWANfest. ¡Sinophone! aims to promote the diversity of Chinese-language music and showcase artists from different countries, music genres, dialects, as well as encourage the long-term cultural and music exchange between the East and the West.
You may also be interested:
¡Sinophone! – Road to…
¡Sinophone! – Refuge
From the Curating Team
Through the universal languages of dance and music, TAIWANfest explores intercultural connections in flamenco dance, Chinese-language music, and more.
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Performance / Vendor / Sponsorship Opportunities
TAIWANfest Toronto is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, that is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered here, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples of this land while we engage in meaningful conversations of culture and reconciliation.