When A Moving Sound, a Taiwan-based musical ensemble performs on October 10 at Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center, it will be a homecoming for the group’s co-founder Scott Prairie.


Prairie, a 1981 graduate of Hempfield Area High School, said he is excited to return home to Greensburg for the show. A Moving Sound will perform at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 10, 2013 in the Carol Reichgut Concert Hall at Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg Pa. Tickets are available online or by calling the Seton Hill Box Office at 724-552-2929.


“It is a great feeling to be able to bring this group from Taiwan to Greensburg for the first time,” said Prairie, who co-founded A Moving Sound a decade ago with his wife, Mia Hsieh. “It is the first time my parents (Ted and Irene Perry) have seen this group perform. I really appreciate the support of Seton Hill to make this happen and have the opportunity to share my ‘labor of love’ that I've been working on for 10 years with my wife Mia with friends and family.”


Prairie grew up playing the French horn and actually studied the instrument for a time at Carnegie Mellon University. Though he gave up music for a time, earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, entering a doctoral program and traveling through Europe, he returned to his passion not as a classical musician, but as a singer-songwriter and experimental composer. He performed at New York City clubs including The Kitchen and The Knitting Factory.


Prairie met his wife in New York and the couple moved to Taiwan. Together they started A Moving Sound, which brings the sounds of traditional Taiwanese, Chinese and neighboring Asian traditions into modern times with skillful compositions that open new passageways for east-west cultural dialogue. Accompanied by the sound of traditional instruments such as the Chinese erhu, zhong-ruan, and Chinese percussion, the sublime singer and dancer Mia Hsieh leads a powerful ensemble on ethereal journeys that are enchanting audiences and critics across five continents.


A Moving Sound has attracted international attention for opening doors to the under explored territory that is Pan-Asian music. The group is intensely passionate about how it presents the use of traditional instruments in its contemporary sound. Their approach is to be holistic – combining art, spirituality, social awareness, and a universal love of humanity play key roles in the creative process.


A Moving Sound has been featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and were featured artists in a special program on Taipei presented by the Lonely Planet television series, which was broadcast in 50 countries on The Discovery Channel.


Tom Pryor of National Geographic’s World Music web site said, “A Moving Sound is one of the most original outfits working in the world music arena today.”


The October 10 Seton Hill performance will be the last of A Moving Sound’s seven-city tour of the United States. A Moving Sound’s first North American CD was released in 2011 by Motema Music. Find more information here.