An Intern’s Diary

Claire Chen, an Arts Management graduate student from University of Applied Science Potsdam, Germany, shares with us some insights on her 6 months internship at National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Sep 07-Feb 08.

	The Arts always inspires me. Though there are so many different forms of arts, I believe all forms of arts come together as something wholesome, and is the powerful language that tells of everything, even science and philosophy. Through Arts, we can connect with the artist. Through Arts, we can express and share emotions. Everyone can tell something through the arts, and yet nobody owns and possesses it. That is what I believe in – the purity of the Arts.

I was born in Taiwan, and educated in Germany. Being half-Taiwanese (mother) and half-German (father), many people ask me how I grapple with my cultural identity. Actually I am glad that I have this unique background. It is not about compromising or finding a midway between the two, but I believe I have to fully understand both cultures, to be able to find myself my true identity. And in doing so, I am glad I benefited from the broadened cultural exposure.

My internship with the programming department of National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center (NTCH) was from Sept 07 – Feb 08. As it was my second internship with NTCH, the programming department already knew my ability. So I was lucky to be involved in many different projects when I started my internship. I even had the opportunity to attend the performing arts market in Korea as a delegate. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that the staff at NTCH has given me, and most of all, the trust that they had in me. Other than being responsible for an opera studio project – “2007 Opera Studio: The Beauty of Opera”, I also did translation, research, artists contact, etc.

The opera studio project that I was handling in NTCH left me with a deep impression. Throughout the project, I had the opportunity to work with 18 young local performers, each with different personalities. These young vocalists were winners in an audition held by the NTCH. They are talented, highly trained, and some of them garnered prizes in various competitions. Joining forces with Petra Müller, the resident director of the Hamburg Opera, “The Beauty of Opera” series saw a variety of repertoire selections from Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Norma, Don Pasquale, Porgy and Bess, and Les contes d’Hoffmann, among others. It was rewarding to see how each of them grew and learnt. After the project, I also feel that there is great potential for opera in Taiwan, and in Asia.

As I graduate in a year and a half’s time, it is my dream to be able to be involved in the innovation and educational part of arts-management and to support its development.