Written by: Rachel Lee, FCSN Voices Editor
Graphics by: Karen Gong, FCSN Voices Youth Reporter

The warm hum of conversation filled the air as FCSN families and visiting community members gathered in the South Bay Center auditorium, exchanging handshakes and cheerful greetings of “Happy New Year!” As FCSN staff handed out red envelopes to children with special needs, Chiling’s Band filled the room with live music, accompanied by vocalists Amy and the mother-daughter duo, Ruth and Marisa.

On February 1st , FCSN hosted its second annual Lunar New Year Café Concert led by Sufen Wu, one of FCSN’s original founders. Like last year, the celebration aimed to bring the FCSN community together, showcase the musical talents of its members, and raise awareness about FCSN and its coffee shop, Friends Coffee & Tea. Reflecting on the event’s purpose, Sufen said, “We [want to] get people to know better about what we’re doing…I [came up] with the idea to do the café concert, because originally, I just wanted to get everybody to know that we have a café here. This year, we got more…people who never came here before, and they learned what we’re doing.”

The concert featured a diverse lineup of 18 performances, showcasing the talents of FCSN students and friends. The program included multiple sets by Chiling’s Band and the Dream Achiever Band, several vocal performances, four solo piano pieces, a Tahitian hula dance, and a cello trio. The piano performances highlighted the remarkable talent of FCSN students, with pieces like Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca” and “Merry-Go-Round of Life” from the Studio Ghibli movie Howl’s Moving Castle. The vocal performances spanned a wide range of styles, from modern pop hits like Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” to classic favorites such as ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” as well as Chinese songs celebrating the Lunar New Year, including 一剪梅 (Yi Jian Mei) and 恭喜恭喜 (Gongxi Gongxi). Dream Achiever brought an exciting twist to the celebration with a Chinese New Year rendition of Gangnam Style, prompting the audience to dance along and cheer “新年快乐!” (Happy New Year). Meanwhile, just across the hallway, Friends Coffee & Tea manager Roxana Chiu and her staff were hard at work serving food and drinks to both regular customers and concert attendees. Concert attendees stepped in and out of the café, grabbing lunch or a warm drink as they enjoyed the concert.

The final performance was an entertaining lion dance by FCSN volunteers—a new addition to this year’s event. Unlike the traditional dragon dances often watched from afar on television, this up-close performance allowed the audience to engage with the joyful spirit of the dance. This lion dance was particularly special: after dancing to the traditional beat of drums, the performers danced to the song APT. by Bruno Mars and Rosé, bringing out the fun and mischievous side of the Chinese lion. “It was so cute. This is a perfect fit for our students because we don’t show them the high, difficult techniques for the lion dance,” Sufen said. “We show them the happy, naughty lion…so that’s a good vision for them to share their joy of the lion dance.” Afterwards, the celebration continued with a vibrant fashion runway show, where children with special needs showcased traditional Chinese clothing—ornate coats of gold and red that shimmered under the lights. The event concluded with a dance party that invited all audience members to join in the fun. After the concert, performers and attendees took home spring couplets wishing them peace and prosperity for the new year. 

A great deal of preparation went into making this celebration possible—Sufen spent nearly a month planning, coordinating with performers, and spreading the word. Determined to “shorten the distance between ‘normal’ and ‘special,’” she personally reached out to friends and promoted the event on Facebook. “I think if you don’t have a special needs kid in your family, or your friends [don’t] have a special needs child, you basically keep [your] distance because you’re afraid to hurt [them] or you don’t want to be impolite,” Sufen said. “So I want to create a very warm environment for [non-FCSN families] to come and see that [kids with special needs] are a happy bunch, and they are the most pure in heart…And maybe when they go home, they start thinking, is there something I can learn?” With music, laughter, and celebration, the Lunar New Year Café Concert showcased not only incredible talents, but also the joy that individuals with special needs bring to the world—a beautiful way to welcome the new year.