Chongqing Children's Choir Shines with Gold at Singapore Festival
By YAN DENG|Aug 09,2024
Chongqing - The Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir and Shanhu Primary School Firefly Children's Choir have claimed the Gold Award in the Equal Voices 12 Years and Below category at the 8th Singapore International Choral Festival. The festival was held from July 28 to 31 at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore.
The Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir and Shanhu Primary School Firefly Children's Choir have claimed the Gold Award in the Equal Voices 12 Years and Below category at the 8th Singapore International Choral Festival. (Photo/Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir)
As one of the four major choral festivals in Asia, the Singapore International Choral Festival is Singapore's largest and most prestigious choral competition. Since its inception seven years ago, it has attracted over 12,000 choral enthusiasts from more than 270 choirs worldwide.
Founded in 2012, the Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir is the only children's choir in Chongqing authorized by the China National Symphony Orchestra. Under the guidance of young conductors Zhu Xi and Deng Zhuorui, the choir has won numerous international and national choral competitions.
Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir. (Photo/Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir)
The children prepared the songs "Lighting" and "The Moon Calls" for this competition to showcase Chongqing's charm and convey the friendship between China and Singapore through their singing. This victory marks their fifth gold award, following wins at the 8th World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2016, the 6th China Children's Choir Festival in 2017, the 14th China (Beijing) International Choral Festival in 2018, and the 9th China Children's Choir Festival in 2023.
The choir members' average age was just nine, with the youngest being only seven, making this the youngest group ever fielded by the Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir. Before departing for Singapore, the children vowed to represent the spirit and vitality of Chinese youth on the world stage. When the host announced "Chongqing" as the Gold Award winner, the children erupted in cheers of joy.
"We were very excited and had mixed emotions when we won the award because many of the children who participated in this competition were quite young, mostly around eight or nine years old. This made the training much more challenging compared to working with older kids. Our teachers put in unimaginable effort and hard work. During the early stages of organizing the rehearsals and training, the children also pushed themselves to achieve their best," said Liu Man, head of the Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir.
Ran Bin, Party Secretary and Chairman of Chongqing Cultural Investment Group, stated that the Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir is one of the three key sub-IP projects the group is currently incubating. He added that the group will continue to explore cultural exchange opportunities between China and Singapore, further integrating cultural industry resources from both regions and playing a vital role in the cultural development of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative.
"We still need to keep working hard to solidify our foundation and participate in more competitions. We saw many excellent choirs from around the world, which inspired us. We have a long road ahead and must continue to focus on building a strong musical foundation. We hope to achieve even better results in the choir field for Chongqing in the future," Liu concluded with determination and hope for the future.
