Anyone who has grown up in this beautiful town would agree that it is a place full of unforgettable memories and old friends around just about every corner. Each time I return, I realize how fortunate I was to grow up in such a nurturing, supportive, artistic and unique place. This particular trip back, however, I have the chance to share something with the community that has given me so much. This July I'll be touring the U.S. with the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and with the support of our local community, have arranged a concert in our very own town!

I graduated from Nevada Union in 1996 after participating in the outstanding choral program there for four years. Our community - rich in art and music - inspired me, as it has many others, to further pursue my love of music. Four years later, I finished my undergraduate degrees in Asian history and music at Brandeis University. I had the unique opportunity of not only singing with the University Chamber Choir, but also with the Boston Symphony Tanglewood Chorus under the direction of Seiji Ozawa.

After graduating from Brandeis, I left the crisp winter days and breathtaking fall foliage of Massachusetts to follow my passion for history. In the five years since then, I have lived in Taiwan and have just completed my master's in Taiwanese history from Taiwan National University.

During my time in graduate school in Taiwan, I also had the honor of singing in the Philharmonic Chamber Choir, both around the island and in international competitions. I have had the good fortune to sing with them in international choral festivals and competitions around the globe. We have traveled throughout the Americas, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and throughout Asia. This summer we're touring the Western U.S. and singing in several music festivals, including the International Choral Festival in Missoula, Mont., and the Bach Festival in Eugene, Ore. Since we were going to be so close to Nevada City, we were able to schedule a concert in Nevada City with the help of CATS and the NUHS Boosters Club.

As I have traveled with the choir, I have had the opportunity of translating for them across the globe - sharing our music in the dialects of Taiwan, China, and Mongolia with the many nations of the world. I feel that in each country that I have traveled to, music has brought me closer to the people and enabled me to better understand the land that I traveled to. I also feel that they, in turn, reveal something of Taiwan: Music is one of the marvels of an intangible culture - a treasure that must be experienced to be truly understood.

This summer, for the first time, I have a chance to share it with a community that I know personally and, for the first time, share a little about the place where I grew up with the choir that has shared so much of its culture with me. I hope to see you all on the evening of Saturday, July 8, at the Don Baggett Theater to hear some of our award-winning arrangements and compositions of Taiwanese, Chinese and Mongolian music.

(Editor's note: Please see "Mark Your Calendar" for specifics on the performance Mr. Sitzer will be singing in.)