In an interview about his latest story, reporter Caleb McGever explores his process on reporting on Hsia-Jung Chang and her Piano Lunch Concert Series in Spokane.
Q: How did you find out about this story and why did you think it was important to report on?
Hsia-Jung Chang put up Piano Lunch Concert posters she designed at public areas all around Spokane. I saw one for the first time outside a coffeeshop downtown and took a picture of it – both as an idea to write about and so I could go listen to her play! A few weeks after that, Tracy emailed me and asked if I could write an article about the concert series because of its connection to Salem Lutheran and arts in Spokane.
I thought it was important to report on Hsia-Jung’s concert series because it offered a unique opportunity for short, accessible classical concerts in Spokane. Plus, it had good elements of a good religion story: classical music tends to have religious and philosophical roots, the accessible timing of the event was unique, and the concerts were being held at a local church.
Q: Why are local music events and artists like this important to report on?
Local music events are like alternative spaces to share faith and values. Musicians always have some sort of message or belief about the world that they express with every song, and audiences gather like a congregation. Not only does religion-focused reporting on local music help alert community members to thoughtful and fun events going on in their community, it also aims to help readers better understand artists’ faith and values, which can lead to a new appreciation for their music.
Q: What stood out to you most about Hsia-Jung Chang or her music?
Hsia-Jung has been to so many different parts of the world: she was born in Taiwan, spent most of her life in New York and has performed in countries around the world. She told me she was trying to bring a part of her experience in the New York music scene to Spokane with the Piano Lunch Concert series. To me, the cultures of New York and Spokane seem entirely different, and so the creative potential for her upcoming performances (and hopefully more in the future) piqued my interest.
Also, during our interview for the article, Hsia-Jung talked a lot about the role of truth in music. As we talked, I was wowed by how many different approaches she used to share insights about how truth is shared by music. She is an incredibly thoughtful person and her insights (which I tried to share as much as possible in the article) led me to appreciate her music in new ways.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from this piece?
I hope readers listen to the classical pieces (and Hsia-Jung’s performances of them) that Hsia-Jung explains in the article and try to find the “divine part” she says is present in the music. I also hope they look for music’s expression of diversity, highlighted in her set list from March’s Piano Lunch Concert, which she talks about in the article.
And, of course, I hope readers attend Hsia-Jung’s next lunch concert at 12:10 p.m.. on May 4!
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