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Bella Voce has just returned from our first International Concert Tour! Under the
thoughtful, careful planning of ACFEA the singers of Bella Voce toured and
concertized in Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Shanghai. It is certainly the
case that touring brings a group even closer together!
The musical adventure began in Beijing, where we sang a concert at the Beijing
Conservatory. We were so lucky to have Tony, our talented Chinese guide, to
introduce and translate for us. For many, the time in Beijing was both musically and
personally thrilling, with some of our singers experiencing international travel for the
first time! Chopsticks were starting to feel a little less foreign. We started to
realized right away that music is indeed the international language that we all can
communicate with.
On to Xi’an, no concert there, but instead soaking in the beauty of the China
country and the amazing feats of leaders from the past. The terra cotta warriors
were mind-boggling to see!
Our next performance opportunity came in Hangzhou, and the facility we performed
in there was the most wonderful acoustic we have ever experienced! The concert was
a great success, and set us up to be well prepared for the World Choir Games!
Shaoxing, a small city of only 1.7 million, was well prepared for the World Choir
Games. We arrived in time to enjoy the opening ceremonies, which was full of music
and pomp! (the music was the best part!) The morning of our second day, I put the
singers through their paces and off we went to compete! It was all we had hoped
for, our first international competition. The singers sang well, but it is a whole new
world to sing with no “chatting” from me to the audience, and no applause! We all
felt that the competition was exciting, and VERY nerve wracking.
The rest of the time in Shaoxing was spent trying to listen to as many competing
choirs as possible and trying to find decent food to eat! :) The award ceremony
was nerve wracking, but we were thrilled to be awarded a Silver Diploma in the
Women’s Chamber Choir category of open competition.
The highlight of the WCG for me was the closing ceremonies, where we were able
to see and hear the winners in all the categories! They were inspirational, to say the
least. Then, one more stop on our trip. Shanghai. We loved being able to perform
a concert there and have a final dinner in China together with our traveling
companions from McQueen Core Jazz and Sierra Nevada Children’s Choir.
thoughtful, careful planning of ACFEA the singers of Bella Voce toured and
concertized in Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Shanghai. It is certainly the
case that touring brings a group even closer together!
The musical adventure began in Beijing, where we sang a concert at the Beijing
Conservatory. We were so lucky to have Tony, our talented Chinese guide, to
introduce and translate for us. For many, the time in Beijing was both musically and
personally thrilling, with some of our singers experiencing international travel for the
first time! Chopsticks were starting to feel a little less foreign. We started to
realized right away that music is indeed the international language that we all can
communicate with.
On to Xi’an, no concert there, but instead soaking in the beauty of the China
country and the amazing feats of leaders from the past. The terra cotta warriors
were mind-boggling to see!
Our next performance opportunity came in Hangzhou, and the facility we performed
in there was the most wonderful acoustic we have ever experienced! The concert was
a great success, and set us up to be well prepared for the World Choir Games!
Shaoxing, a small city of only 1.7 million, was well prepared for the World Choir
Games. We arrived in time to enjoy the opening ceremonies, which was full of music
and pomp! (the music was the best part!) The morning of our second day, I put the
singers through their paces and off we went to compete! It was all we had hoped
for, our first international competition. The singers sang well, but it is a whole new
world to sing with no “chatting” from me to the audience, and no applause! We all
felt that the competition was exciting, and VERY nerve wracking.
The rest of the time in Shaoxing was spent trying to listen to as many competing
choirs as possible and trying to find decent food to eat! :) The award ceremony
was nerve wracking, but we were thrilled to be awarded a Silver Diploma in the
Women’s Chamber Choir category of open competition.
The highlight of the WCG for me was the closing ceremonies, where we were able
to see and hear the winners in all the categories! They were inspirational, to say the
least. Then, one more stop on our trip. Shanghai. We loved being able to perform
a concert there and have a final dinner in China together with our traveling
companions from McQueen Core Jazz and Sierra Nevada Children’s Choir.
