Choral concerts bring curtain down on music festival
Choral concerts were held at Shanghai Urban Music Lawn and The INLET over the weekend to bring the curtain down on the 38th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival.
The chorus concert series at The INLET in Hongkou District featured the Minhang Children's Chorus, the Sound of Army Chorus, and white-collar workers' Friday Knight a cappella group.
There were 32 music concerts and 10 dance performances staged at this year's Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, which began on March 18.
Friday Knight's a cappella performance was one of the most popular shows on The INLET stage. A cappella music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. It was originally used in religious music.
Shot by Ma Yue. Edited by Ma Yue. Subtitles by Ma Yue.
The singing group was founded seven years ago, and its members got to know each other when competing in a Xuhui District singing contest as individuals.
"A vocal instructor at the contest introduced us to a cappella, which was still a new performing form for us at the time," Wang Shuangying, a middle school teacher and Friday Knight member, told Shanghai Daily.
"We began vocal practice with the teacher's guidance. Some trainees who shared the same interest decided to form our own vocal group," she said.
Friday Knight currently has 14 members who variously work as an electrical engineer, coffee shop owner, doctor, nurse, short-video maker, and cultural venue employee.
Members of Friday Knight perform on an open-air stage at The INLET in Hongkou District.
They often perform for the elderly at community events and have won prizes in city-level singing competitions.
"Every Friday night, we devote about two hours to vocal training. That's how we came up with the name for our singing group," Wang said.
The members are of various ages. Some are in their 20s, while others are in their 40s.
Tan Nu, a doctor born in the 1970s, believes that a cappella training and singing activities help him to relieve stress from work and life while also being a role model for his child.
The Minhang District Children's Chorus also performed during the chorus concert at the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival.
"My child watched my performance and was blown away to see a new side of his father," he explained. "We used to love singing when we were younger, but gave it up due to the pressures of work and life.
"I'm proud to be a role model for my child by sticking to a hobby despite the pressures of work and life," Tan added.
The festival also included an accordion culture showcase, a collection of original folk music compositions, and cultural education exhibitions by five Shanghai music colleges.
