New Asia College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of New Asia College, the New Asia Chorus, reformed in 2015, held a mini concert at the Farm Road campus of the New Asia Middle School Hall on 1 June.

The New Asia Chorus has a long history. Its name first appeared in the "New Asia Life Bi-weekly" in 1967, but the Chorus discontinued its activities in the late 1990's. The College recruited members again in 2015 in the hope of reforming the Chorus, and was supported by many alumni and staff members, resulting in the eventual re-establishment of the Chorus by the end of the same year. The Chorus invited the conductor of the CU Chorus Mr. Leon Chu Chun-wai as the choirmaster. Under Mr. Chu's guidance, the NA Chorus members rehearsed diligently and grew steadily, and gained much experiences by performing in various College events such as the CUHK Alumni Homecoming Day, the Thousand People Banquet and the Chinese New Year Party. The Chorus gave excellent performances and received positive responses from the audience on each occasion. The repertoire of the Chorus covers a wide range of music from East to West and from old to new, incarnating the College's tradition of culture and history. Members of the Chorus are from different generations, and are keen to pass on the spirit of the College.

The Chorus members had been making much effort in preparing for the concert over the past six month. They also conducted a full rehearsal at the New Asia Middle School Hall a week before the show. Although their guests were mostly friends and family members, they took the concert seriously and seized every chance to improve their singing. Members with solo or small group performances also met and practiced outside regular rehearsals.

On 1 June, though being quite experienced on stage, the Chorus still felt nervous in face of their first public show. Their hard work was rewarded, for they were at their best at the performance, which was a huge success. The audience who came to support the performers were thrilled to witness the high standard of the chorus and praised the members for their performance.

The concert would not have been successful without the help of the conductor and the efforts of the chorus members, or the presence and support of the audience. The College would also like to thank the New Asia Middle School for offering their hall for the Chorus. The choice of the venue not only carried a historical significance, but also provided the performance with excellent acoustics, which the conductor found pleasantly surprising. The choir members gained valuable experiences from this concert, and were eager for another such opportunity in the near future.