The Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus (aka CU Chorus, formerly named The Student Chorus, the Student Union of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...

, ) is founded by a group of students of the

in December 1972. For each season, the chorus would have its Annual Concert and Christmas Concert held respectively on the middle and the end of a year. While the former one would have a showcase on serious choral music chosen with selected artistic themes, the latter one would be a demonstration of the chorus' vividness and ability in engaging a pop, contemporary style featuring arrangements of Christmas pieces. The most recent Annual Concert and Christmas Concert would be respectively "The Music of Jan Tien-hao" held in June 2014 and "CU Chorus x

Howard McCrary Howard McCrary is an American musician, entertainer, and actor. He was nominated for Grammy award in 1986 for a gospel record entitled, "So Good." Credited for vocal performances and arrangements on the music albums of Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, M ...

", featuring the Grammy-nominated jazz musician Howard McCrary with a good number of jazz arrangements from traditional Christmas songs in December 2012. Throughout the years, the chorus encompasses a repertoire ranging from Renaissance motets to Mahlerian choral symphonies (the chorus is the first university chorus in Hong Kong which has performed all choral symphonies of Mahler), up to the most avant-garde pieces from composers all over the world. As the pioneer of contemporary choral music, the chorus commissions young Hong Kong composers for new works every year. Recent commission works includes Dennis Wu's ''Below the Kau To Shan'', Andy So's ''The Flower of Love'',

Samson Young Samson Young (born 1979) is a Hong Kong artist, working primarily in the mediums of sound performance and installations. Early life and education Samson Young was born in Hong-Kong. He received both his BA degree in Music, Philosophy and Gende ...

's ''When He Said'' etc., with the most recent one being Lok-yin Tang's ''Frozen Tears I and II''. To lay a better foundation for its never-ending artistic pursuit, CU Chorus established charitable organization status with "CU Chorus Association" (a limited company) in January 2012. The new governing body, with its finer division of labour in artistic, management and administrative aspects, could facilitate the collaboration of CUHK undergraduates, postgraduates and alumni in their efforts to boost CU Chorus—a group coming from and basing in CUHK—to ever-greater artistic heights.

Attention from Israel

In May 2009, the chorus won high praise in Israel because of a video clip that its members posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The

video clip documents a performance of ''Choral Selection from

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...

'' (sung in Hebrews and Yiddish) by the chorus in 2007, and the clip was posted immediately after the performance. Shortly before the Holocaust Day 2009, after the film had been on the site for a long time without drawing much attention, it was discovered by an Israeli viewer who had started to distribute it via Email to his friends as "A Chinese choir performs songs in Hebrew to celebrate Holocaust Day". Within a few days, the film became a great hit in Israel and had over 100,000 viewings in Israel and abroad within one month, it also receiving hundreds of moving reactions by Israelis and Jews. The popularity of the clip attracted a broad media coverage, including a news article by

Yedioth Ahronoth ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...

, the best-selling newspaper in Israel.

Selected repertoire

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral" *

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

: Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection" *

: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (Thailand première) *

: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major (Hong Kong and Macao première) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: ''Requiem'', K626 *

: Mass in C major, K317, "Coronation" *

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

: ''Which was the son of...'' * Andy So: ''The Flower of Love'' (World première in 2008 Shanghai Concert) *

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

: ''

Symphony of Psalms The ''Symphony of Psalms'' is a choral symphony in three movements composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1930 during his neoclassical period. The work was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orch ...

'' *

Xian Xinghai Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...

: ''

Yellow River Cantata The ''Yellow River Cantata'' () is a cantata by Chinese composer Xian Xinghai (1905–1945). Composed in Yan'an in early 1939 during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the work was inspired by a patriotic poem by Guang Weiran, which was also adapted ...

'' (original version, Moscow version) *

Dennis Wu Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

: ''Below the Kau To Shan'' (World première in 2008 Annual Concert) *

: ''When He Said'' (World première in 2009 Annual Concert) * Lok-yin Tang: ''Frozen Tears I, II'' (World première in 2012 and 2013 Annual Concert respectively) *

Ng Wah-hei Ng, ng, or NG may refer to: * Ng (name) (黄伍吳), a surname of Chinese origin Arts and entertainment * N-Gage (disambiguation), a handheld gaming system * Naked Giants, Seattle rock band * '' Spirit Hunter: NG'', a video game Businesses ...

: ''The Blossom'' (World première in 2013 Annual Concert) * Jan Tien-hao: ''Dream Catcher'' (World première in 2014 Annual Concert)

Touring record

*1977:

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

(

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

University of the Philippines Baguio The University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB; Filipino: ''Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Baguio''), also referred to as UP in the North or UP Baguio, is a public research university located in Baguio, Philippines. It was established in 1921 through ...

(

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

) *1987:

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

(

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

) *1991:

National Cheng Kung University National Cheng Kung University (NCKU; ) is a public research university located in Tainan, Taiwan. The university is best known for engineering, computer science, medicine, and planning and design. As a top university in Taiwan, NCKU has played ...

(

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

) *1994:

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Statio ...

(

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

(

) *1996:

(

) *1997:

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary The Nanjing Union Theological Seminary () is the flagship theological seminary of Protestant Christianity in China today. It is managed by the China Christian Council. Prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China, the institution had ...

(

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

) *2001:

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

(

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Singapore Bible College Singapore Bible College (SBC) is an evangelical Bible college in Singapore. SBC has over 500 students, representing 25 countries. The current principal is Rev. Dr. Clement Chia. History Singapore Bible College was established in 1952. It was fou ...

(

Guangzhou University Guangzhou University (GU; ) is a state university in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, China. The university is made up of two campuses. The major campus is located in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC, geographically called X ...

(

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

) *2003:

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU; ) is a public research university in Shanghai, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university was established on April 8, 1896 as Nanyang Public School (南洋� ...

(

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

) *2006:

Shih Hsin University Shih Hsin University (SHU; ) is a private university known for its mass communication departments in Taiwan, founded in Muzha, Taipei in 1956. SHU ranked 22nd overall among top 30 liberal arts Universities in Taiwan in 2020 and secured the top ...

(

) *2007:

Macao International Music Festival Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a popu ...

(

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Sun Yat-sen University Sun Yat-sen University (, abbreviated SYSU and colloquially known in Chinese as Zhongda), also known as Zhongshan University, is a national key public research university located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was founded in 1924 by and nam ...

(

) *2008:

Shanghai Normal University Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) (Chinese: 上海师范大学) is a public research university in Shanghai, China. SHNU is one of the three Key Universities (上海市重点大学) (Along with Shanghai University and University of Shanghai for ...

(

) *2009:

Dayeh University Dayeh University (DYU; ) is a private university in Dacun Township, Changhua County, Taiwan, and accredited by ACCSB. History The school was established in 1990 as Dayeh Institute of Technology by Song Gen Yeh who wanted to establish the firs ...

(

Changhua County Changhua County (Mandarin Pinyin: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴''; Hokkien POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest county on the main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth smallest ...

), Taipei Fushin Private School (

) *2010: Siam Philharmonic (

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

) *2011: Crescendo Voices (

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

) *2013: Taichung Chamber Choir (

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...

) *2014:

National Tainan University The National University of Tainan (NUTN; ) is a university in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. History NUTN was founded during the Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule as Tainan Normal School in June 1899. In January 1946, after Retro ...

(

) *2015:

Shanghai Spring International Music Festival Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

(

) *2018:

National Taiwan Normal University National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU; ), or ''Shīdà'' is an institution of higher education and normal school operating out of three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan. NTNU is the leading research institute in such disciplines as Education and Lin ...

, Taipei Contemporary Choir (

) *2019:

Taipei International Choral Festival Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

(

)

References

External links

*(Chinese/English
CU Chorus, Official SiteCU Chorus YouTube ChannelThe Chinese University of Hong Kong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus Chinese University of Hong Kong Musical groups established in 1972 University choirs Hong Kong choirs