PORTLAND, Maine—A conductor was left in awe after watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium last weekend. “This was fantastic,” conductor David Brandes said. “I was so impressed with the music, the dance, the technology, the scenery. [And] it was very, very, deeply moving.” Brandes is a retired professor of music from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. He saw New York-based Shen Yun with his family on Oct. 2. Having conducted many performances before, he said he was deeply impressed by the artistic skills of the performers. “I was especially impressed with the music, as a musician,” he said. “The coordination of the music with the interpretation of the dance was exquisite and very, very articulate. I was so impressed with it. I thought it was an outstanding performance.” His wife Kathleen said the music was healing. “When the host said that in ancient China, music was used to …