On May 1st, the award ceremony of the 4th Chorus Festival of Two Sides across the Straits was held in the performing hall of Hsinchu Municipality in Taiwan. All the performers and audiences sang the theme song Love Opens Hope in their full enthusiasm. This festival was jointly sponsored by China Musicians Association, Fuzhou Municipality, Hsinchu Municipality and Taiwan across-the-Strait Music Exchange Association. In the short duration of three days, more than 20 choruses across the Strait presented their own glamour and made friends with each other through melodious songs. The compatriots across the Strait were then closer at heart. 

Over 600 people in chorus from Mainland and over 1000 people gathered on the same stage, both of which created a new record of participating total of the chorus festival across the Strait. During the festival, Hsinchu, a small town became a paradise of chorus and songs. 

Through two rounds of competition, 6 choruses such as Affiliated Chorus of Fujian Provincial Opera and Dance Drama Theatre, Fuqing Overseas Chinese Chorus, Zhongshan City Chorus of Guangdong Province, Beijing Police Chorus, Taiwan Yifeng Mix Chorus and Dalian Art Academy Chorus of Liaoning Province won golden awards; and another 6 choruses, that is, Guangdong Shunde Chorus, Zhengzhou Hui Nationality Teachers’ Chorus of Henan Province, Beijing Musicians Association Chorus, Taiwan Hsinchu Girl Middle School Chorus, Taipei Heart-voice Chorus and Honesty College Chorus of Fuzhou University won silver awards. Taiwan Hsinchu Philharmonic Chorus, Keelong Philharmonic Chorus, Taiwan University EMBA Chorus, Sanming Workers’ Union Philharmonic Chorus of Fujian Province, Taiwan Hsinchu Light Chorus and Zhuyou Men’s Chorus won bronze awards. The best conductor awards went to Wang Jun and Kang Yudan, and the best accompaniment awards went to Ouyang Jun and Ji Fan. Yifeng Women’s Chorus won the award of best costume. 

“This session proves to be at the highest level compared to the previous sessions.” Xu Xiyi, president of Chorus China of CMA and judge of the festival said. In review of the competition, choruses from both Mainland and Taiwan have made considerable progress and the overall chorus performance has leaped by a great margin. 

On April 30, a large-scale open-air performance and children chorus concert took place in the square of Shell Park by the seaside of Hsinchu. Though it rained a little at the beginning, all the choruses tried their best in performance and not a single audience left. Little Jasmine Chorus from Fuzhou, Deep Blue Sea Chorus from Xia Men, Wufeng Junior Middle School Chorus and Hsinchu Municipal Children Chorus took their turns to convey their dream and love by their sounds of nature. 

When kids from the 4 choruses hand in hand introduced themselves and sang together Song of Ali Mountain, in audiences’ eyes, the common seeds had rooted and grown in their young hearts.