As the seventh International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) festival came to a close, the organization’s founder Shane O’Shea announced to the 350 young musicians on the stage: "I am humbled by you."

He said so with good reason. The final gala concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall was a display of awe-inspiring musicality, made infinitely more impressive by the fact that the performers were all of school age. Hosted by Dulwich College Beijing, the event saw the most talented performers from across Asia’s international schools perform a challenging program lasting almost two hours.

With just a few days to rehearse together the orchestra could be forgiven for slight hiccups, but it instead opened with a note-perfect and suitably menacing rendition of Mussorgsky’s "Night on Bald Mountain."

What was to follow was perhaps more astounding. Because the multi-faceted and complex piece that concluded the first half of the concert was composed by a student, Gordan Yam. His piece "Rise of the Trolls" conjured images of Lord of the Rings not only with its name but with the epic trumpet calls and marching drums that wove throughout the composition.

After the interval, a full choir joined the orchestra on a packed stage to perform Haydn’s "Nelson Mass," before Grammy Award-winning musician Christopher Tin took the stage. Conducting a world premiere performance of his composition "Temen Oblak", the powerful piece earned him the biggest cheer of the night.

The audience, this writer included, was left as humbled by the evening as the ISCMS director. The gala concert was genuinely brilliant performance from some of the most talented young musicians you are likely to encounter. If you missed it this time round the festival will, after heading to Shanghai and Singapore for the next two years, return to Beijing in 2017.  

Photos by Ken

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Dulwich College Beijing Hosts ISCMS Festival
The International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) was founded in 2008 by Shane O’Shea, then head of music at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB). The first gala concert was held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, where students and teachers performed Faure’s Requiem.

Now, DCB is once again getting ready to host over 300 students from international schools around Asia and the Middle East. They will visit Beijing for a week of workshops and master classes with six international music practitioners.

The festival will culminate in a gala concert featuring double Grammy Award winner Christopher Tin, who will conduct his new piece, Temen Oblak, with the student choir and Beijing Youth Orchestra. The concert will take place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on Saturday, February 22 at 7.30 pm. For previous coverage of ISCMS on beijingkids, click here, here, and here.

For more information about the festival, visit the ISCMS website. Tickets can be ordered via yoopay. For further inquiries, contact Joanne Ross at joanne.ross@dulwich-beijing.cn.

United Family Healthcare Shunyi Expansion
The United Family Shunyi Clinic has been expanding its services for years, but the latest renovation creates even more space for new facilities and services.To celebrate the expansion, the clinic is planning to hold special community events every season. Mark your calendars for:

• Free eye checkups: The United Family Shunyi Clinic will offer free eye screenings from January 20-22.To make an appointment, call 8046 1102.
• Pediatric dental talk: Pediatric Dentist Dr. Irene Lau will give a talk on Wednesday, January 22 at 10am on the factors that influence oral health and introduce simple tips for your little ones. There will be a Q&A. To RSVP, contact jenifer.sullivan@ufh.com.cn.

By the end of the month, the clinic also expects to have ENT and gynecology services. There will also eventually be a fully operational laboratory and radiology department; for now, there are limited schedules for both services. In March, the clinic will offer free hearing tests and dermatology consultations.

Mom-Approved: Dr. Christian Lemm
While we’re on the subject, I want to put in a personal recommendation for United Family Shunyi’s new family medicine doctor, Dr. Christian Lemm. Dr. Lemm is from Germany and speaks English, German and conversational Italian.

The fact that he moved to Beijing with his family in the middle of winter and worked the clinic the day after Christmas is enough to get a thumbs-up from me. But more than that, we liked his bedside manner and his very thorough approach to treating the respiratory conditions that brought us running to the clinic. Before prescribing any medication, Dr. Lemm took the time to explain the condition and how medicine would help to treat the symptoms.

He was also the first doctor I encountered who could give us a clear picture of my son’s asthma problem. He explained the effects of different medications so well that my son was able to repeat the entire explanation – complete with diagrams – at home to his father and older brother. This is a great skill.

DCB Opens Ice Rink to the Public
Also at Dulwich College Beijing, the ice rink is now open to the public at the following times:

• Monday, 3.45-6pm
• Tuesday, 5.15-7pm
• Wednesday, 5.45-7pm
• Thursday, 3.45-6.30pm
• Friday, 3.45-5.15pm
• Saturday, 10am-noon

A section will be cordoned off for public skating since part of the rink will be used for classes. The price of admission is RMB 50 and includes unlimited skating for the duration of the public skating time slot; ice skates and helmets are included. Dulwich has a limited supply of elbow and knee pads for rent, so the school encourages families to bring their own. Payment can be made at the Dulwich Sports Dome Reception. For inquiries, call 6454 9127.   

Photo by Benson Kua via Flickr

We’d like to hear from you! What are your Shunyi favorites? Any recommendations or bits of news you’d like to see here on Shunyi Happenings, please feel free to send it on to us via email to: danamercado@beijing-kids.com.

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.