Xinmin Chorale is a youth choir consisting of talented and enthusiastic singers, led by their conductor Mr Yong Chee Foon. Having performed at the Esplanade’s Limelight series in 2017 and 2019, Xinmin Chorale is glad to be once again invited to perform at Limelight 2023 where one can expect songs such as Morning Rain by Americ Goh, My Spirit Sang All Day by Gerald Finzi and more.
Xinmin Chorale performs regularly in public concerts and musicals, such as the highly successful musical-cum-choral concerts, Melizo. Furthermore, Xinmin Chorale has also been invited by various Ministries and private organisations to perform for their celebrations and functions. In 2015, the chorale was invited to perform at Youth Celebrate!—Singapore Sports Hub’s inaugural opening ceremony—that recognises and develops young talents in Singapore. In 2016, Xinmin Choral was invited to perform at Voices of Singapore Festival 2016 which showcased more than 1,600 singers from 37 invited choirs. To celebrate their Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) achievements, the chorale was also invited to perform at the SYF Celebrations 2016 Opening Concert.
Despite its short history, Xinmin Chorale has consistently received accolades at SYF. They have garnered Gold Awards in succession since 2005 and a Gold (With Honours) Award in 2011. In 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, the Xinmin Chorale was conferred the prestigious Certificate of Distinction at the SYF Arts Presentation. To ensure the continued excellence of their chorale programme, the young singers are regularly coached by renowned international choral conductors, composers and clinicians, giving these singers the exposure they need to grow and develop their talent. These clinicians include Ms Maria Guinand from Venezuela, Dr Michael Barrett from South Africa, Dr Eugene Rogers from the United States, Mr Werner Pfaff from Germany, Dr Paulo Lorenço from Portugal, Dr Kari Turunen from Finland, Mr Ko Matsushita from Japan and Mr Branco Starc from Croatia.
Xinmin Chorale has made its mark in international choral competitions. In 2009, the choir was awarded a Gold Diploma and was the Under-16 category winner at the International Festival of Advent and Choral Music held in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2013, the chorale was the Gold Award category winner for the Under-16 Mixed Choir category and won Best Programme Award at the Winter Choral Festival held in Hong Kong. At the 1st Singapore International Choral Festival in 2014, Xinmin Chorale was awarded the Gold Award, winner for the Mixed Voices Under-16 category and was the sole Singapore representative in the Grand Prix finals.
2020 was an unprecedented year due to the pandemic, but that did not affect the members’ passion for singing. During the circuit breaker, some members covered and filmed a music video of When You Believe, to express their gratitude to all frontline healthcare workers for their commitment and sacrifice, and to encourage them. Some also took part in performing Be The Light and was featured in a music video produced by the Ministry Of Education (MOE) for SYFgoesOnline and National Day 2020. Others took part in the Teachers’ Day Virtual Choir, performing You are the Reason, a music video produced by MOE to express gratitude to teachers.
Bringing the arts to communities in need through Limelight
Half of the ticket proceeds will go toward supporting Esplanade’s community engagement programmes which bring the arts to at-risk youth, the elderly, people with special needs and other underserved communities.
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