Festival March 13-14, 2027
Fusion artwork due to FAME office by Dec 18, 2026 at 5 pm
300 E. Main St., Fort Wayne
Do not attempt to drop-off unscheduled. Arts United staff will not accept the artwork on behalf of FAME. Schedule drop-off with FAME staff (info@famearts.org).
FAME’s Fusion of Concert Colors promotes interdisciplinary arts understanding by encouraging students to draw connections between musical selections and the visual arts. FAME teachers guide students to create artwork as they listen to music from our current cultural arts focus. All northern Indiana elementary and middle FAME schools are invited to participate in this program.
Each year FAME partners with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic to select an orchestral work reflecting the year’s cultural focus. Students listen to this music and then create their own original artwork inspired by the music. The artwork is then displayed at the Auer Center for Art & Culture and one student’s artwork from each grade (K-9) is selected as the FAME artwork of the year and the artwork is used to promote the FAME Festival throughout the region. At the Fort Wayne FAME Festival, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Youth Symphony and Concert Orchestras perform the music that inspired the student’s art pieces and a giant slideshow displays all the selected art pieces behind the playing musicians. The honored students and families are guests at the FAME Festival Celebration of Youth Concert. The Fusion slide show will be on March 13, 2027, 5 pm.
Participating schools must submit their student’s artwork by date December 18, 2026, to the FAME office at 300 E. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802. You may not drop off artwork with Arts United staff. Please contact FAME staff (info@famearts.org) to schedule drop-off.
All artwork will be available for pickup after the Teacher’s Meeting in September, 2027.
This Year’s Musical Selection Is:
Ryukyu Folklore
by Xiaokang Deng
You may listen to the music selection on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMOxWq9f330
About the Music Selection*
Take students on a musical journey to Japan through Ryukyu Folklore, a Grade 1.5 string orchestra work by Xiaokang Deng. The piece draws on the cultural heritage of the Ryukyu Islands, an island chain in Japan, using traditional melodies, vibrant rhythms, and lush harmonies that evoke the tranquility of nature.
As students listen, invite them to consider the images, colors, movement, landscapes, stories, and emotions the music brings to mind. These responses can become the inspiration for their Fusion of Concert Colors artwork.
About the Composer
Xiaokang Deng is a composer based in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition at Texas Christian University. He earned a master’s degree in composition from the Mannes School of Music and studied music at McGill University after previously earning an engineering degree and working in the aerospace industry. Deng writes for soloists, chamber groups, choirs, and orchestras, and his music has been published by several music publishers. Among his greatest musical inspirations are Japanese composers Joe Hisaishi and Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose emotionally expressive music has influenced his own creative goals.
Website for Xiaokang Deng: Xiaokang Deng
Register
Click the buttons below to download the full Fusion packet and register online. Online registration isn’t required (you can submit a hand-written form provided in the packet), but you will need to still need to download the Fusion Packet for the required labels and information about the music selection.