(Minghui.org) The 2016 season of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra's concert tour concluded with encores and standing ovations at the Chicago Symphony Center on October 29, 2016. In this one-and-a-half-month-long tour, the orchestra brought ancient yet refreshing melodies to 18 cities across 4 nations.

Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra's performance at the Chicago Symphony Center on October 29, 2016

Standing ovation in Chicago concludes the orchestra's 2016 tour

Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra performs at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on October 26

Curtain call at the concert in Washington, DC

“Amazing Explosion of Music in My Ear”

Tracee Omilinsky with son David at the Chicago Symphony Center on October 29

“It was just breathtaking. It was an amazing explosion of music in my ear,” said futures trader Tracee Omilinsky.

“The expression of music through the conductor was sublime,” Ms. Omilinsky said of conductor Milen Nachev. “You could see the energy of everybody flowing together as one.”

“It was soothing,” her son David added. “The music, everybody coming together into one singularity was amazing.”

Ms. Omilinsky was especially amazed by the singing of soprano Haolan Geng. “I got lost in her music. I lost myself in her words. It was just beautiful,” she said.

“Words can’t describe the symphony, the harmony that put you at ease,” she added.

“Uplifting to All of Humanity”

“I felt connected to the experience of the Chinese culture on a very deep level,” said venture capitalist Rafael LaVerde, after seeing the concert in Chicago.

He could feel “how strong the culture is on a spiritual level despite any difficulty.”

“I found that to be very beautiful, very inspiring. It’s very uplifting to all of humanity,” Mr. LaVerde commented.

“Flawless” and “Powerful”

Stephen Wendt with wife Jan Wendt at the concert in Washington, DC on October 26

“Flawless. Excited. I could see extreme teamwork,” said Stephen Wendt, president and CEO of an environmental engineering company.

“There were many pieces that seemed like dawn awakening. I could see nature scenes... It painted an interesting palette for me, both with my ears and also what I was imagining,” he said.

His wife Jan, who works in international satellite communications, also shared, “Very powerful... I love the fusion of the Chinese instruments with the Western instruments, and the musicians did a fantastic job.”

Special Sense of Familiarity

Ahmad Katawazai at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on October 26

“Fantastic... Heart-touching music,” said Ahmad Katawazai, an Afghanistan liaison to the Defense Department.

He found a special familiarity in the music, which brought him “back in the mountains of Afghanistan, and the music that we listened to over there.”

“I find a connection between the music that we have in Afghanistan and this,” Mr. Katawazai said. “It touches the bottom of the heart.”

Prior to performing in Washington, Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra received welcome letters and recognitions from elected officials at various levels including: (first row, left to right) Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip; Mark R Warner, U.S. Senator from Virginia; Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the District of Columbia; Brandon Todd, Member of the Council of the District of Columbia; (second row, left to right) Terence McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia; John P Sarbanes, U.S. Representative for Maryland; Donald Beyer, U.S. Representative for Virginia; Donna Edwards, U.S. Representative for Maryland; and Elijah E. Cummings, U.S. Representative for Maryland.

The 2017 season of Shen Yun Performing Arts begins on December 22 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For more information on tickets and dates, please visit ShenYun.com.