Tsai Family of the Parklands

On the evening of Friday, June 22, 2012, at the Tsai home, we are hosting an open house in honor of Jessica and her fiance, Henry Lin. You are welcome to come and bring your wishes for the two of them from 6pm to 9pm. Please RSVP on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ events/376819352353825/ . Hope to see you here! (5.24)

Megan performed in the Woodfield Elementary School Spring Concerts on May 23.  The morning performance was held at Woodfield Elementary School, while the evening performance was held in the nice cool cafeteria of Baker Middle School.  As part of the Advanced Strings conducted by Mr. Gillenwater, Megan played the harp for "Can-Can," "Petite Tango," and "Banana Boat Song."  Then she sang with the entire 5th grade Chorus.  Mrs. Aungst led them in singing "Mrs. Jenny Wren," "The Path to the Moon," "Yo le Canto Todo el Dia," "Solfege Suite #3: Tango," "Where'er You Walk," and "I Feel Better."  Although it was raining outside, the concert was a success, and we ended up with flowers for the performer.

On both May 22 and 24, Mom held two recitals for her Group Piano students at Woodfield Elementary School.  This was the culmination of this semester's group piano classes.

Elder Phil Hanks, who served in our branch about 17 years ago, had a meeting at Fort Meade.  So he dropped by our home for dinner.  We then drove him to the Kentlands Chapel for the branch fireside, where he met other members.  It was great to see him after such a long time.

After eight months of diligent practice, the children of the Jinhua Chorus presented a 2-hour program at the Performing Center at Montgomery College.  They performed a variety of songs, including Hashivenu, Aya Ngena, Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride, Que Sera Sera, Count One Me, and 14 Chinese songs.   Melinda received her graduation certificate from Jinhua Chorus.  After the concert, everyone enjoyed finger foods and talked under the cool night sky.  Good job to all Mrs. Hsu and all of the performers.

Hey this is Josh! I wanted to share a little about my recent experience in Europe on tour with the BYU Wind Symphony. I'm not quite sure where to begin, as so much happened within those three weeks! But it began immediately after winter finals: two days of rehearsal, then flying off to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Our first stop was at the Anne Frank House where we were able to go inside of the greatly preserved Secret Annex. The museum was so well done, it is a miracle that Anne Frank's diary survives as well as this important place in history. We'd come back to the Netherlands, but first we would spend the next 1.5 weeks in Germany. We first played at an elementary school in Hamburg, the "green capital" of Europe. Indeed it was very green, and the climate much, much more humid than that of Utah. In fact I was very happy about not having to worry about humidifying my clarinet, and I could even play on hard reeds again (very difficult to do in the desert)! After playi...

At the high school Senior Awards Ceremony, Melinda swept 5 awards, including the Straight A's for 4 years award.  Mom, dad, and sister were all on hand to congratulate the deserving awardee.  Congratulations, Melinda!

At Thomas Wooton High School, our family participated in the 2012 Overseas Chinese Culture & Art Festival on Saturday, May 5.  The whole program, including 13 choirs, was efficiently organized and conducted.  Each choir was given 8 minutes or less to perform.  The girls sang with the first ensemble of the Jinhua Children's Chorus, conducted by Jean Hsu.  They sang "Hashivenu," "Aya Ngena," and "Nali You Qiutian?"  The adults sang in the sixth program with the Hua Xia Chorus, led by Richard Lee.  They performed "Waipo di Penghuwan" and "Ga'olitai."

On the evening of April 21, we witnessed one of the best piano concerts ever in the Washington DC Visitor Center.  A graduate student at Weber State University in Utah, she dazzled the audience and recited from memory great masterpieces, including sections of Bach's Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor, Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E Major, Schumann's Kreisleriana, and Liebermann's Gargoyles. For an encore, she performed Debussy's Clair de Lune for Sid Foulger.  It was an uplifting experience to see and listen to an artist who has mastered the piano.

In response to Joshua's very thoughtful Christmas present, Melinda promised to finish the 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle of a rustic mansion in the country.  Finally on May 5, the puzzle was finished with only 6 pieces missing.  Mission Accomplished on this masterpiece!