Shen Yun Ohlasy: Kevin Ryan, luthier & founder, Ryan Guitars

“Some of the instruments were ancient, and some were modern, and I thought the way they blended that was, it was just the perfect tone for what they were trying to do. But I loved it, it’s obviously world-class musicians. That was clear... And I have always so appreciated the ancient Chinese culture—not modern, not the modern Communist Party in China, but the ancient culture, I’ve always loved that. Today was just a new look at that, and really an appreciation that I’d never quite had before, for how vibrant it is. And also, I was very touched by the refrain of compassion. That was clear throughout, and I was touched by that, I thought that was beautiful... Anywhere in the world now, maybe especially in my own country, it’s very polarized. And people are very quick to hate each other. And there’s got, maybe it won’t ever get better until there’s some divine intervention. But for now, compassion is a great way to start, just to at least begin to understand each other, and compassion, without compassion, really none of that is possible. So I thought that was a beautiful message, and I loved it.”