(Minghui.org) The Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is going to make its 2015 debut performance at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada, this October. As a local practitioner, I feel fortunate to be able to help promote this wonderful event.
I would like to share four of my recent experiences promoting the Shen Yun Symphony.
At lunch one day, I ran into a colleague whom I rarely had a chance to visit with at work. She was chatting to a Vietnamese colleague and said she was a music fan. I asked if she liked traditional music. She said, “Yes, very much.”
Then I recommended the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra to her. Never having heard of Shen Yun before, she asked me what it was. I gave her a brief introduction, then had her listen to some of their music on my iPad. She listened to five selections and kept saying, “I like it, I like it!”
I told her that the Shen Yun Symphony had played to an appreciative full house at Roy Thomas Hall last year and was coming back this October.
As we talked, her friend told her I could help her find the best tickets. I asked her if she had ever been to that concert hall. She said she went frequently. I got more information about her favorite seats and called the ticket hotline to ask if they were still available. She took her credit card out and gave it to me to purchase two tickets.
The practitioner who worked for the ticket hotline processed it quickly and sent the order confirmation to her cell phone.
We visited together afterward. She said she was from Peru, but her grandfather was Chinese. She loved music and had been longing for Chinese music and instruments. She told me she had been waiting for this: “The music of Shen Yun makes me feel as if I have found my roots.”
A security guard where I work purchased two Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra tickets last year, for himself and one of his sons. He really loved it and later purchased three tickets for the Shen Yun Performing Arts show, this time for himself and both of his sons. He said they really had a wonderful time.
I ran into him several times this year. Even though I recalled that he had already attended two Shen Yun events and loved them, I didn't tell him about the upcoming Shen Yun Symphony.
When I saw him again recently, he asked, “When will that wonderful performance be back?” I gave him the information, and he made a special note on his calendar for October 3. He said he was going to confirm with his sons about their schedule.
The following day he asked me where I sat last year for the Shen Yun Symphony. He said he wanted three same-priced tickets as mine. He said my seats must be the best.
I printed out the tickets for him. He told me that enjoying Shen Yun music had become a tradition in their family.
After watching the Shen Yun show last year, he learned the Falun Dafa exercises from me. Although he didn't continue, I think his knowing side was quite clear about the preciousness of Shen Yun.
The Casa Loma resort in Toronto is famous for its beauty and luxurious European style. It's also where the locals enjoy open-air concerts on summer evenings. We got permission to promote the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra there every Tuesday evening.
An elegant Chinese lady and her son came to our booth, and we had a good chat about all kinds of things, including my job and her immigration experience. She told me she traveled back to China once a year. We also talked about the differences between Chinese culture and Western culture.
As we were talking, a man came over holding out a credit card. He asked if any of us had left it after making a payment at his food booth just now. The lady was very touched. She said that if that had happened in China, she would never get her credit card back. I took the opportunity to tell them how the Chinese Communist Party has destroyed traditional Chinese culture and the facts about Falun Dafa.
Then I told them how popular the Shen Yun show and Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra were in Canada. The lady said she planned to go to China on October 1. I encouraged her not to miss such an authentic Chinese cultural treat and let them use my earphones to hear a selection of Shen Yun music. They enjoyed it so much that they purchased two tickets.
One man came to Casa Loma every Tuesday for the open-air concert. He was easy to spot, because he had an eye patch over one eye. Someone said he was very wealthy.
I thought to myself, “Social status makes no difference in the eyes of a Dafa practitioner, because all sentient beings are here to be saved. He comes to every concert, so he must be a music lover.”
He eventually came to our booth. I asked him if he would like to listen to some Shen Yun music. He put on earphones, and I watched his expression light up in amazement: “Wow, I am completely blown away.” I played another selection for him. He said, “Wow! Amazing!”
I said, “Since you love it so much, you must not miss the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall on October 3.” He quickly purchased two tickets.
We are so lucky the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is coming to Toronto. It's a great opportunity to save the people in our city.
Promoting the Shen Yun Symphony to our colleagues and friends who love traditional music is effective. Moreover, Shen Yun music carries Dafa's power, so people can sense its power and wonder as soon as they hear it.
We are confident that the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra will play to a full house this year. Let's try our best to promote it!
Thank you, fellow practitioners.Heshi.