by Xinhua author Shi Chun
NEW YORK, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) — At the conclusion of a live performance in New York, younger singers from China and the United States had been embracing, exchanging farewells and posing for images.
For them, Thursday night’s live performance on the Chinese Consulate General was not only a musical efficiency, however a reunion of buddies introduced collectively by years of cultural change.
Under the theme “Youth, Dialogue, Future,” the occasion was attended by greater than 100 performers from Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Guangdong Experimental High School Choir and Lang Lang International Music Foundation.
The live performance offered a collection of famend vocal and instrumental works from each nations, together with the Circle of Life, Bridge Over Troubled Water and As Wished.
Young performers captivated the viewers with their spirited singing and energetic dance strikes, drawing rounds of applause and cheers.
For 17-year-old Sylvie, a member of the New York refrain, the night’s most significant moments got here from reconnecting with buddies she had made in China.
Sylvie started studying Chinese six years in the past. In 2024, she traveled to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai along with her refrain, the place she made Chinese buddies.
“I’m so happy that we’ve met again. We’ve kept in touch on WeChat and talked in both Chinese and English,” she instructed Xinhua.
Now Sylvie has added Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu to her want record for the subsequent journey. “I really like China and wanna go back soon. It’s definitely a different experience,” she stated.
The reunion mirrored a relationship that has grown for greater than 20 years between the 2 choirs. Their story started with a global choral competitors in Japan and has since expanded by means of on-line collaborations, pupil exchanges and reciprocal visits.
In autumn 2024, Francisco J. Nunez, founder and creative director of Young People’s Chorus of New York City, led the U.S. choral ensemble to China on the invitation of Guangdong Experimental High School Choir. This yr, he welcomed the Chinese singers to New York.
“This is like ping-pong,” Nunez stated with a smile. “It’s not a tour. It’s a relationship.”
“Each time in these steps, our relationship has grown stronger, with more singing, more families and more friendship,” he stated.
Quan Hanyan, chairman and principal of Guangdong Experimental High School Group, stated continued cultural exchanges supplied younger individuals in each nations worthwhile alternatives to foster mutual understanding and a deeper bond.
“In a world with so much noise, these young people have chosen to listen to each other. That is how a bridge is built across the Pacific,” Nunez stated.
Chinese Consul General in New York Chen Li praised the sister choirs’ longstanding partnership for example of friendship between Chinese and U.S. youth.
He inspired younger individuals from each nations to study from each other and develop collectively, and use their youthful voices to jot down a brand new chapter in China-U.S. friendship.
As the Chinese singers ready to go house, Nunez supplied as soon as once more his finest needs.
“Tomorrow, you’ll get on an airplane,” he instructed them. “But it’s not goodbye. It’s until we sing again.”