Concert: Symphony of Voices by Victoria Junior College Choir

((Updated with concert programme))

Date/Time: 14 May 09, 7.30 pm

Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall

Ticket Price: Standard - S$50 (Box Seat), S$40, S$30, S$20. (Doesn't appear to have concessions for students)

Concert Programme: (many thanks to our reader, who has requested to be anonymous)

The Heavens are Telling
1988 (Hong Kong) - Choral Conductors Workshop Demonstration Choir

The father of symphony, F J Haydn composed The Creation during 1796-1798, the longest time he had ever spent on a single composition. Regarded as one of Haydn's greatest masterpiece, The Heavens are Telling is one of the mightiest choruses of the Creation and remains as popular favourite even till today.

My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land
1990 (Wales) - Cardigan Eisteddfod International Choral Competition

This beautiful yet sad piece of music is a lament for lost love. The piece was published in 1890, composed by renowned English composer Edward Elgar based on a poem by Andrew Lang. Every phrase in the music brings you a deeper insight to the poet's world. At the beginning it may seems to be an idyllic recollection of a summer's love, but only to be revealed at the end that the poet's beloved is dead.

Fyer, Fyer!
1991 (Hong Kong) - Invitation from the HK Education Ministry for Concert

This madrigal is a renaissance piece that was composed by renowned English musician Thomas Morley during the Elizabethan Golden Age. Fyer, Fyer was written as part of the First Book of Ballets in 1595. The song explores the burning emotions that arise when love culminates, as depicted by the forceful singing in most sections of the song.

Ave Verum Corpus (performed by year 1 chorus)
1992 (Europe) - Concert Tour Around Europe

A traditional favourite by the 19th century composer Camille Saint-Saens, this Latin sacred music is strongly influenced by music from Italian Catholicism. It means "Hail the true body", referring to the body of Jesus Christ. A Eucharistic hymn that was used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the heartfely music is a testament to Christ's death and the final judgement.

Ma Tou Qin Zou Qi Lai Le (performed by Victoria Chorale)
1993 (Australia) - Sydney Opera House, Canberra House of Parliament

Composed by Liu Zhuang, this piece explores the theme of nation building. Also known as the Morin Khur or horse-headed fiddle, the Ma Tou Qin is a Mongolian bowed instrument with two strings and a detailed carving of a horse's head on the peg head. This song is a strong representation of the Mongolian tribal culture, reflecting both the sound of the Ma Tou Qin and traditional Mongolian overtones.

Ave Maria
1995 (Vatican City) - Saint Peter's Basilica

Ave Maria is a prayer to the Virgin Mary, based on a biblical text. Anton Bruckner wrote this seven-part setting in 1861, making it the first major composition that he completed after 5 years of arduous study. It starts with a three-part women's choir followed by a four-part men's choir which eventually unite in the proclamation of Jesus. It concludes with the asking for intervention for us sinners.

Lok Sui Ten (performed by the Victoria Chorale)
1997 (USA) - Concert Tour to USA, performed at Disneyland, LA

Arranged and commissioned by Dr. Zechariah Goh Toh Chai and Victoria Junior College Choir in 1996, this song (based on a Hakka poem) consists of traditional Hakka droning tunes that are full of emotion. Like most Hakka folksongs, this piece is about life in the mountains. It praises the strong spirit of their people, who do not easily succumb to the difficult circumstances. The piece tells the tale of people, who do not have any shelter, being caught in heavy rains, which relentlessly pour on them.

Counting Frogs (performed by year 2 chorus)
1999 (Pohlheim, Germany) - Mendelssohn International Choral Competition

Arranged and commissioned by local composer Dr. Zechariah Goh Toh Chai and Victoria Junior College Choir in 1998, the VJC Choir once again brings to you this famous Chinese folk song, a popular favourite amongst many. Beginning with 1 frog, with 2 eyes and 4 legs, the numbers keep multiplying as the tongue twister unfolds; the speed of the song also escalates when new frogs are added. The croaking of frogs and unique harmonics used in the opening set a mysterious atmosphere, slowly building up towards a grand and impressive finale.

Ave Maris Stella
2000 (Linz, Germany) - 1st Choir Olympics

Composed in 1979 by Vajda James, this energetic yet solemn piece sings praise to the Virgin Mary. It is based on a plainsong hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which origin is uncertain and can be dated as far back as the eighth century.

O Magnum Mysterium (performed by year 2 chorus)
2002 (Prague, Czech Republic) - 12th International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music

This sacred piece was composed by French composer Francis Poulenc, it explores the internal struggle that he as a person faces in reality. Poulenc's setting of this piece consists of a very sombre tone, which reflects the immense pain felt by him. Based on a responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas, we return to the fateful night when Jesus Christ was born in a lowly manger. The sense of awe felt by those present is captured and relieved in this song, which exalts "The Great Mystery".

Now Every Tree (performed by year 1 chorus)
2003 (Genting Highlands, Malaysia) - Inaugural 21st Century International Choral Festival)

This madrigal was written in 1597, during the renaissance period, by famous English composer Thomas Weelkes. Being the most important from of music of its time, it is a polyphonic secular vocal composition that is unaccompanied. The music well expresses the sentiment of each line of the poetic text, which depicts a love-song of the seasons.

In The Bamboo Forest (performed by Victoria Chorale)
2004 (Bremen, Germany) - 3rd Choir Olympics

Composed by Dr. Zechariah Goh Toh Chai, and commissioned by the Victoria Junior College Choir in 2003, this piece was premiered by the VJC choir in 2004. "Sitting alon, in the hush of the bamboo, I thrum my zither, and whistle lingering note. In the secrecy of the wood, no one can hear, only the clear moon comes to shine on me."
Based on this poem by Tang Dynasty poet (Wang Wei), the song describes how the simple pleasures of music and art are somtimes best enjoyed in solitude.

Confitemini Domino
2006 (Riva del Garda, Italy) - 9th Concorso Corale Internazionale

This spectacular piece of music composed by acclaimed Venezualan composer Alberto Grau, exhibits heavy Latin influences that stem from his own cultural roots. It is an extremely unique choral piece that encompasses a mixture of slow, moving passages and intense, captivating trance-like rhythms and effectively uses and incorporates a wider range of musical effects.

Hana
2007 (Pattaya, Thailand) - 3rd A Voyage of Songs International Choral Festival

This enticing piece composed by Japanese composer Ko Matsushita in 2001 expresses the fragility and tenderness of a flower, bringing as through the course of its delicate life. Does the blooming of a flower indicate its impending and inevitable death? More often than not we only see a flower for its bloom, but not its journey, in which its story unfolds. Let the VJC choir take you through this mesmerizing journey of the story of a flower.

Mate Saule
2008 (Wales) - Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod

Mate Saule, also known as Mother Sun, is a contemporary piece written by Peteris Vasks in 1946. It is an early choral work, featuring voices oscillating like the shimer of a sun slowly rising in the horizon, lit by flares and fragments of chant. The song culminates with a breathtaking chord, consisting of 15 parts (each representing a beam of sunlight) which expresses the idea of an inspiring sunrise by the Mother Sun.

Christus Factus Est
2009 (Linz, Germany) - 2nd International Anton Bruckner Choir Competition and Festival

Composed byt the renowned Romantic era composer Anton Bruckner and completed in 1884, Christus Factus Est was dedicated to a Father from the Benedictine Monastery. It is a symphonic and beautiful piece and a prime example of the way Bruckner develops harmonic tension gradually, building to memorable climaxes and then easing away.

The Phantom Waltz

Based on two poems by Izak van der Merwe, South African composer Hendrik Hofmeys wrote this piece in 1998. It is a contemporary piece that depicts ghosts gathering for a light, yet energetic waltz at a spookey estate on an eerie night. The haunting and creepy atmosphere is further enhanced by the whispers and winds that vocalists create at different sections of the song. Watch out for the hair-raising opening as the VJC Choir welcomes you to the Phantom Waltz.

Magic Songs (Chant to Bring Back the Wolf)

Composed by renowed Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, Magic Songs is compilation of 9 chants, of which we are only performing one. What is unique about Magic Songs is that it reflects the idea of 'Tone Magic', which requires the performers to believe strongly that they will bring out a physical effect from the chants, so as to energise the piece. The chants are to restore aspects of nature which have been destroyed or neglected by humanity. In the words of the composer, "if you sing the right note, you can make anyhing happen".

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A choir recognised both locally and internationally for its mastery of choral music, the Victoria Junior College Choir once again presents its annual concert Symphony of Voices. In conjunction with the college’s 25th Anniversary celebrations, this will be an evening that celebrates the choir’s accomplishments over the years. This promises to be an evening of spectacular music, where the choir will showcase its musicality and versatility with a variety of songs ranging from sacred music of the Latin tradition to contemporary Asian and Western compositions.

Under the guidance of esteemed choral director, Mr Nelson Kwei, the Victoria Junior College Choir has grown from strength to strength since its humble beginnings in 1985. The choir has garnered numerous awards, attaining Gold Awards in all categories they competed in during the 2004 Choir Olympics and being awarded the Grand Championship Prize in the Riva del Garda Choir Competition held in Italy in 2006. More recently, the VJC Choir was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the Voyage of Songs International Choral Festival 2007, and clinched first prize in the Youth Choirs section at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2008 held in Wales.

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