3:05 p.m., June 1, 2009----The award-winning University of Delaware Chorale is visiting China as part of a special trip led by Xiang Gao, UD professor of music, and his wife Renee Dong, UD Chinese language instructor.

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During the two-week stay, which began Monday, June 1, the UD Chorale will perform at several locations including universities in Beijing and Shanghai.

Under director Paul Head, chairperson of the UD Department of Music, and accompanied by UD alumni, the chorale is making its Beijing debut to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of American-Sino relations, Gao said.

“The tour is an effort to build joint degree programs between the UD Department of Music and the music departments of major Chinese universities,” Gao said. “This is a way to help bring two great nations closer together.”

Gao said that young people in China view America as a country of freedom and opportunity.

“The Chinese students are looking forward to showing UD students what their rooms and their town looks like,” Gao said. “Their choir will be singing with us. We will be friends and brothers and sisters through music.”

The most select choir at the University, the UD Chorale has a long and distinguished history. Members are chosen by audition from all colleges at the University.

The chorale won the grand prix at the 10th International Choir Festival in Tallin, Estonia, in April 2007, and has performed at the White House during the presidencies of both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

The trip to China will include 60 UD Chorale members, including 17 recently graduated seniors who became UD alums during Commencement on Saturday, May 30, at Delaware Stadium.

“We will be visiting Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University, and Shanghai Normal University,” Head said. “The chorales from each of these institutions will be performing with us a part of the programs we will be giving at each university.”

In the spirit of international cooperation, Head noted that the Chinese students have learned to sing the popular folk song “Danny Boy,” while the UD Chorale has learned the “Usuli Boat Song.”

In addition to their performances at the Chinese universities, Head said the UD Chorale also might perform at the Great Wall and in the Summer Palace in Beijing.

“Our students are very excited to be performing for an Asian audience and for the opportunity to exchange songs and stories with the Chinese students,” Head said. “China is an increasingly large presence on the international stage, and our students are very excited about meeting their Chinese peers.”

The opportunity to travel and represent the University and meet UD alums living in China during the chorale's two-week stay is something everybody involved appreciates, Head said.

“Part of the process of becoming a musician is to study and share the human experience and to learn about all of the things that make us human,” Head said. “It's also really valuable for our students to grow personally by meeting students from other countries.”

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kevin Quinlan