The first time that a group of people stood together and sang in unison, a captive audience was born. Through that performance, early humans realized that multiple voices produced a much richer sound than a single one could.
Throughout history, developments in musical notation led to different forms of group singing: in harmony (as seen in European choral music), backed by musical instruments, or within a church. The latter is the origin of the phrase “a capella” (Italian for “in the manner of the church”), which has come to mean singing without musical accompaniment.
The most common type of arrangement is a mixed choir of male and female singers, usually consisting of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices. Choirs can be categorized by the kind of institution that directs them – for example, a church, a school, or a community organization – or the kind of music they perform, such as a classical choir, a barbershop quartet, a gospel choir, or a show chorus.
But no matter the form, the objective of all choral singing is the same: to produce a highly textured sound that cannot be achieved through one voice alone. Singers reap the social rewards of being part of a group, as well as creating music for their own and others’ enjoyment.
Perhaps it is time to finally break out of humming quietly to yourself or singing in the shower and make some new friends in the process. Or if you are content with being part of the audience, check out some of the following choirs.
Shout! by O’le Music
The name “O’le” will be familiar to many families in the Beijing expat community for its popular indoor climbing center in Shuangjing or the many ski and snowboard programs led by O’le Ski. Now, O’le is expanding into pursuits beyond sports by taking on the world of music.
O’le Music offers several platforms for those who want to explore their musical side. Programs for kids consist of Trash Bash (see p21 for details) and World Percussion, while grownups can join the Shout! choir, which started last December.
Shout! is open to all singing levels and experiences. The main repertoire is made up of rock and pop songs specially arranged and easily divided between any number of participants. You do not have to be a good singer nor even to able to read music. For now, O’le Music holds regular sessions downtown but will start up in Shunyi once enough people sign up.
Interview with Pete Tupper, co-founder of O’le Music
How did Shout! come about?
After providing musical activities for kids, my co-founder Alejandro and I decided it would be only fair to give the parents and other adults a chance to do something fun too. A “rock choir” seemed like the ideal solution.
What is the aim?
To give adults the chance to experience the feeling of singing popular rock and pop songs in a group (sometimes for the first time), to develop their skill from whatever level they are at, and to create a regular social occasion to foster friendships and give people a great time.
What has it been like so far?
The choir is picking up momentum and attracting an even mix of foreigners and English-speaking locals, both men and women.
What is the professional experience of the people leading the choir?
The arrangements are created especially for Shout! and guided by Mariana Savchenko, a professional singing coach from Ukraine. Her experience teaching musical theater also adds a lively twist, and she uses a teaching method that works for both those who do and do not read sheet music.
What do your members want to get out of the choir?
Many have always had a niggling urge to take their singing further but haven’t had an opportunity, or are curious to see if they could develop their singing in a fun and sociable format rather than through private singing lessons. Others just come for the good feeling!
Any plans for the future?
Once each regular group gets established in downtown and Shunyi, the aim is for those groups to perform at the end of the course. We are now developing new choirs specifically for schools and companies. When each group has learned the same songs, they will rock out together in a joint performance, which will no doubt be great for everyone involved.
International Festival Chorus
For the past 11 years, International Festival Chorus (IFC) has been performing large-scale choral works with an orchestra. The IFC features both well-established western repertoires and Chinese choral pieces in view of introducing a wide variety of music to a mixed audience. As an extension of the main choir, the International Festival Children’s Choir was formed in 2006 to give younger singers a chance to participate in choral music.
The IFC’s artistic director is Nicholas Smith, who has led the choir for the last ten years. He holds a degree in music from Cambridge University and has experience working with music groups worldwide. In 2011, Smith became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his services to music in China and to Sino-British relations.
Interview with Ching-Ping Lin, IFC operations manager
How was IFC formed?
We started when a group of expats found that they had enough friends with a passion for singing to form a high-quality choir. And so it was that in March 2002 the IFC burst onto the Beijing classical music scene with a sold-out performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. The IFC very quickly set about becoming a truly
international organization with many Chinese singers – now typically [making up]over a third – and aiming to appeal to Chinese audiences as well as western.
What is IFC’s aim?
Our overall objective is to perform great music from all choral traditions to the highest possible standard. We focus on large-scale choral works, which allows us to work with our sister organizations, the Peking Sinfonietta (www.xkqchamber.com) and the IFC Children’s Chorus (www.ifcchildren.org).
What is the professional training and experience of the people leading the choir?
The IFC is 100 percent volunteer-run. Our management team consists of people from all professional backgrounds and nationalities, foreign and Chinese. Not all staff members are singers, as we have a strong core of non-singing volunteers who believe in the IFC’s mission.
How has it been so far?
Going into our twelfth season, we have learned that the festival rehearsal format (fewer, more intense rehearsals with high expectations for personal preparation) is well-suited to Beijing’s fast-paced living and ever-changing international community of singers.
We are always working to include more Chinese singers. We make sure that rehearsals, emails, and concert programs are all in Chinese and English.
We are also on the lookout for good tenors; we find ourselves [listening for]dulcet high notes as we go about our daily lives in Beijing.
What do your members want to get out of IFC?
Common threads include a love of music, the desire to perform major choral works not sung by other groups in Beijing, and [the opportunity to sing]with a diverse set of people who are committed to quality.
What are your plans for the future?
We are still in it for the quality. That said, we have seen Beijing change a great deal since we started. We remain open to new opportunities, having established a solid platform and reputation for classical music between the IFC, IFC Kids musical education program, IFC Children’s Chorus, and Peking Sinfonietta.
While sustainability is one of the goals of any arts organization, a changing membership also allows us to continue evolving. For instance, we recently initiated a community sing series to allow anyone to sing with us regardless of musical experience. The series provides a fun musical opportunity, and we like to think it is opening doors to this kind of music. for the first time to some.
Beijing Shining Jazzy Chorus
The Beijing Shining Jazzy Chorus dares to go where a lot of choirs do not by virtue of its identity as an LGBT group. The majority of its members are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, but the choir is also open to straight singers who are supportive of sexual diversity.
The last five years have been an uphill battle for this group, which has struggled with acceptance in a society that does not readily embrace homosexuality.
Some members of the choir have not yet come out to their family and friends, and sing with masks on during concerts. There is still a long way to go but the group hopes to break down barriers and inspire a more open society through song.
Interview with Wang Ruoyu, founding member and publicity director
How did Beijing Shining Jazzy Chorus get its start?
Several of us got together and started it. We believed there was nothing more inclusive than joining in song, and thought that a choir could create a community spirit.
What is the choir’s objective?
To entertain, enlighten, heal, and unify our audience and choir members with words and music.
What is the professional training and experience of the people leading the choir?
We have two regular directors. One studied piano and theory at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine; the other took chorus music courses at China Conservatory of Music.
What has the reception been like?
We have one or two concerts every year and the audience responds very enthusiastically. We usually hold our concert at a theater with 150 seats, and each time it gets fully booked. During our last performance, the ratio of Chinese to international audience members was around 5:1. For now, we have more men than women in the choir, but women are very important to us. We hope that more will join.
We receive a lot of support from the international community; the rehearsal venue is provided for free by the German Centre for Industry and Trade, and we get most of our donations from foreigners.
What do your members look to get out of the choir?
Aside from sending a message about acceptance, we share the joy of creating music and a sense of belonging.
Any plans for the future?
We would like to recruit more members and hold more concerts in Beijing to let people – especially straight people – know about us.
We would also like to travel to other cities to perform and help people build their own LGBT choirs. We’re planning to attend an international LGBT chorus festival in the future to learn from others.
Resources
Shout! by O’le Music 奥莱音乐
Contact: 186 1045 3101, bookings@ole-music.com, www.ole-music.com
1) Every Tue, 7.30-9.30pm. Sanyuanqiao group: Champion Bar, 7 Jing’anli, Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳党校路静安里甲7号千品酒吧; 2) Every Sat 10am-noon. Shunyi meeting: The English Tearoom, inside Chuangyi Yuan, 1A Shunhuang Lu (near Scitech Outlets), Sunhe Township, Shunyi District 顺义区孙河乡顺黄路甲1号创意园内(近赛特奥特莱斯).
International Festival Chorus 国际节日合唱团
Every candidate who applies to join IFC is given an audition date. Contact: info@beijingifc.org, www.beijingifc.org
Beijing Shining Jazzy Chorus
Rehearsals and recruitment held each Saturday afternoon. Applicants should be LGBT-friendly, and accept the group’s mission of enlightening, healing, and unifying through words and music. Sight reading of musical notation is a big plus. Contact: bjlgbt.chorus@gmail.com
Other Opportunities for Community Singing in Beijing
German Kantorei
Weekly meetings aimed at amateur singers. The majority of songs are in German, with some in English and Italian. Rehearsals are conducted in German, but translation is available for the Chinese, English, and French speakers in the group. Contact: Katja Schmidt-Wistoff, katja.wistoff@hotmail.de
Beijing International Christian Fellowship
Gospel choir that meets every Sunday morning for English services. Contact: Tang Haiyin, 139 1021 8004
Our Lady of China Beijing
Various times and locations for Catholic Mass in English on Saturdays and Sundays. Contact: olcbjparish@aol.com
Choral Training
Choir Master Wang Jie and her team can train groups like companies and schools to perform choral pieces. Contact: 189 1113 7665
Photo Courtesy of IFC
This article originally appeared on p56-61 of the beijingkids February 2014 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com
