Did you know that many of the Christmas carols and holiday songs still sung today originated during Victorian times? Back in the days before radio, TV, or Internet, the Victorians loved music and revived old medieval English carols as part of their holiday celebrations. The custom of caroling door-to-door however, began with something called the “waits,” an ancient tradition of going house to house singing in exchange for food. There’s no doubt that in modern times music still plays a big part in the holiday traditions, but if a group traveled door-to-door here in Beijing singing songs to our neighbors with the hope of spreading good cheer, there’s a good chance our neighbors would think we’re nuts. Though caroling might not be the norm in China’s capital, there’s still choir and concert options at hotels and concert halls. Catch the happenings this weekend below.

The German Choir Beijing, (Deutsche Kantorei Peking), the Madrigal Choir Beijing, and the Bach Orchestra will team up this weekend to perform the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach at the Canadian International School of Beijing and the Kempinski Hotel Beijing tomorrow and Sunday, respectively.

Email deutsche.kantorei.peking@gmail.com  for ticket reservation or to find out more.

Source: historicalharmonies.org

Over 350 students from the region’s international schools will take to the stage at the Forbidden City Concert Hall later this month, as part of an international music festival hosted by Dulwich College Beijing.

The group of young musicians, which includes a 100-piece orchestra, will perform a range of choral pieces at the standout Gala Concert, which forms part of the five-day International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) Festival, February 19-23.

The showpiece concert is also set to feature a world premiere from double Grammy winner Christopher Tin, who will conduct the first performance of new composition “Temen Oblak”. Internationally renowned for his film, commercial, and computer game soundtracks, the classical crossover composer will lead a group of students from 25 international schools.

Speaking about the forthcoming concert, Tin said: ‘I am tremendously excited for my first concert in the Forbidden City Concert Hall, and working with ISCMS and Dulwich College Beijing on a truly unique and momentous occasion.

“Having just recently gotten married it is a great way to celebrate, and who knows, this piece may become as big as "Baba Yetu" from Civilisation IV,” he said, referring to his Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to the popular 2005 computer game.

ISCMS Founder and Director Shane O’Shea said: “It is a real coup for ISCMS to be hosting not only all these amazing students, but Christopher Tin and the world premiere of his inspiring new work, and believe me, I have heard it, it is amazing.”

In addition to Tin’s new work, the night will also feature performances of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass”, conducted by O’Shea himself, and Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain”, conducted by Northwestern University Chicago’s Dr. Robert Hasty.

The festival marks the seventh annual festival organized by ISCMS, which is the largest international music society in the Asia-Pacific region. Each year the event series attracts soloists from around the globe and talented musicians from Beijing and beyond.

The festival takes place February 19-23, with the showpiece Gala Concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on February 22 at 7.30pm. Tickets are RMB 140 to RMB 300. For further information please visit the ISCMS website and you can buy tickets via Yoopay here.

beijingkids is the official media partner of the ISCMS Festival 2014

Photo courtesy of ISCMS

From the outside, nothing would have seemed amiss at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on Saturday. Inside, however, was a different story. An entire audience was on its feet, swaying, clapping, and singing in unison as American singer and conductor Dr. Beverly Vaughn led student performers through a rousing rendition of Dr. Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass.

The piece was just one part of the International Schools Choral Music Festival (ISCMS) gala concert, the culmination of the four-day Lumen choral music festival hosted this year by Dulwich College Beijing (DCB). The event brought together students, teachers, and world-class practitioners for special master classes and music workshops.

This year’s special guest was internationally-renown Welsh composer and musician Karl Jenkins, the most-performed living composer in the world. (If that doesn’t ring a bell, check out this classic De Beers ad from 1996. Sound familiar now?) The gala concert marked the world premiere of his new composition, Celebration (Qing Zhu), specially commissioned for Lumen and containing Chinese influences.

The ISCMS festival involved a total of 500 student musicians and faculty from 29 international schools across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, including local schools like Harrow, BCIS, BISS, WAB, and – of course – DCB. On Saturday, they took to the stage to perform a varied program that ranged from American gospel to traditional Irish music. The orchestra alone numbered 144 musicians, twice the size of an average ensemble. 

The evening kicked off with selections from the Broadway classic West Side Story conducted by American Dr. Robert G. Hasty, followed by Karl Jenkins’ Gloria/Te Deum. The first half was rounded out with a toe-tapping rendition of a medley from Ronan Hardiman’s Lord of the Dance.

For Gloria/Te Deum, the performers were joined onstage by the graceful Katie Targett-Adams, a Scottish-born, Hong Kong-based singer, songwriter, and harpist. Unfortunately, problems with the microphone prevented most of the audience from hearing her the first time around, prompting gala emcee Shane O’Shea to ask: “Do you want to hear her do it again?” The answer, as it turns out, was a resounding “yes.”

After a brief intermission, the night continued with Dr. Beverly Vaughn’s aforementioned gospel music extravaganza, complete with student soloists, waving instruments, fist-pumping choir members, and a student facilitator (“Follow Camille!”) who showed the audience the right way to sway, bump, and clap.

The very last piece was Karl Jenkins’ Celebration, conducted by Jenkins himself. The physical confines of the concert hall were stretched to their limits with the addition of an entire row of student drummers at the front of the stage. The powerful five-minute piece provided a fitting artistic and emotional climax to the night, belying the modesty of its creator and conductor.

In short, this year’s ISCMS gala concert was an exciting affair, full of style, heart, and soul.

For another spectator’s take on the concert, check out Christopher Lay’s blog post on the topic. Stay tuned on beijingkids’ website for an exclusive interview with Katie Targett-Adams.