TORONTO—Dominic Desautels, principal clarinetist at the Canadian Opera Company, had been wanting to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for a while, and finally found a chance to see the company perform at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto on April 5. “I loved it. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was very special,” said Mr. Desautels, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of music. “Everything was just gorgeous, beautiful, colorful, and very expressive. And the orchestra sounded flawless. The dancing was just beautiful. It was really, really wonderful.” Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music, aiming to revive China’s culture as it was before communism. The performing arts company boasts a unique orchestra that combines traditional Chinese instruments into a classical Western orchestra, creating a masterful blend of the two musical traditions. Mr. Desautels said the blending was “seamless.” “I really …