Chinese choir raises the roof

10 October 2016

UCLan’s Confucius Institute brought an award-winning choir to Preston

Music fans in Preston have been treated to a spectacular concert featuring an award-winning international choir.

Organised by the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) Confucius Institute, the Student Choir of Nankai University performed to a packed audience in Preston Minister as part of the 15th Preston Arts Festival.

The Chinese choir, which has performed at top concert venues around the world, sang a range of songs from their diverse repertoire including Chinese minority folk classics. In between the songs was a mesmerising ribbon dance and the finale, an elaborately choreographed performance of Mulan, captivated the entire audience.

"Their beautiful voices sounded fantastic in such a wonderful setting and I know the audience appreciated the range of their vocal talents. This really was a fantastic event celebrating Chinese music."

Feixia Yu, Director of the UCLan Confucius Institute, said: “The performance of the Student Choir of Nankai University was superb. Their beautiful voices sounded fantastic in such a wonderful setting and I know the audience appreciated the range of their vocal talents. This really was a fantastic event celebrating Chinese music.”

The visiting choired welcomed to the stage the UCLan Worldwise Samba Drummers and the Preston People’s Choir, creating an evening of cultural fusion by international and local talents.

Following a prestigious choral tradition at Nankai University, dating back to the 1930s, the group has won various major international choral awards. They include the highest award at the Fourth International Choral Festival in 1998, three gold medals at the Third World Olympic Choral Competition in Bremen, Germany, and top prizes at the First and Second National College Student Performance Festivals in China. In 2009, the Student Choir performed on the stage of China's National Grand Theatre, representing the highest honour of national recognition in China.

View images on UCLan's Flickr Gallery.