Giving the gift of songs

On May 15 and 16, Lyu will lead the China NCPA Chorus in a performance of classical Western choral works, such as Magnificent by Bach, Widmung by Schumann, and The Nightingale by Rachmaninoff.

When the China NCPA Chorus was founded, Wu Lingfen, a famous choral music conductor, was invited to train the young chorus and help it to grow. On Aug 6 and 7, the 78-year-old will return to the NCPA to conduct pieces such as the Russian folk song, Song of the Volga Boatman, Indonesian folk song, Hela Rotan, and Irish folk song, Danny Boy.

"During the past 15 years, the chorus has performed over 60 operas. With a large repertoire, it has learned to sing in different languages, and has a very hectic schedule," says Jiao, the resident conductor. "I joined the chorus right after I graduated from the China Conservatory of Music, where I studied with Wu. For me, it was like growing up with the chorus."

Lou Yihan joined in 2023 as part of the soprano section. She began to sing in the chorus when she was about 8 years old. As a student, she performed twice at the NCPA.

"In 2010, when I was 10 years old, I performed at the NCPA for the first time. The building impressed me and I dreamed about performing here again," recalls Lou. "In 2015, after performing at the NCPA for the second time, I decided to become a professional choral singer. Now, my dream has come true."

Besides concerts in Beijing, the China NCPA Chorus will also tour nationwide this year, following its first national tour last year.