Amis Kakeng Musical Group is a band that plays traditional Amis songs, promoting the beautiful culture. This group will perform at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28 at the Florence Filberg Centre at 411 Anderton Ave. in Courtenay.
Kakeng, meaning bamboobell, is a traditional bell women used to announce they are getting married. Amis Kakeng Musical Group wishes to complete the mission of passing down their culture sending good and happy news about Amis.
Sawtoy Saytay has been the group leader since 1997, he spent five years producing all Amis traditional bamboo musical instruments one by one, including nose flute, pan flute, bamboo flute, and Angklung.
Amis Kakeng Musical Group has toured around the world to North American, France, Japan, Korea, South Maylasia, Pacific Islands, and China. They have collaborated with Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir and Taipei Philarmonice Choir to transform traditional Amis songs into symphonic music.
Amis have been performed at Taipei National Concert Hall and are now known as "new symphonic aboriginal music." This year, the Amis Kakeng Musical Group will collaborate with Ken Hsieh's Metropolitan Orchestra to perform traditional Taiwanese aboriginal songs in Vancouver and Toronto. This is the second visit of Amis Kakeng Musical Group to Comox Valley since 2008, they are also looking forward to meet friendly people here.
Admission is $6 per person, $3 per child aged seven to 11, and children under six are free. For more information Jin Lin at 250-898-9567 or visit www.comoxvalleymulticultural.ca.
— Comox Valley Multicultural & Immigrant Support Society