Holloway Children’s Choir competes and performs at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (July 2019)
Categories -The Holloway Children’s Choir toured the UK in July 2019. I founded the Holloway Children’s Choir in Tianjin, China, in January 2018. The choir aims to introduce Tianjin children to the European, and especially the British choral tradition both liturgical and secular, and to involve Chinese children in the joys of music-making and choir-singing.
We first performed a pre-tour concert in the Cathay Future Concert Hall in Tianjin on June 16th 2019, the title of which was On the Mountain Top (《在山頂上》), after the famous unaccompanied choir piece for treble voices of the same name by Zoltán Kodály. On the 29th June, after a flashmob in Tianjin airport, we flew to the UK. We performed at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod from 2nd-5th July (including a performance at Chester Storyhouse on the 4th).
Videos and photos from our performances below:
“Who has seen the wind?”- Holloway Children’s Choir Lunchtime Recital
@ One Concert Series, St Collen’s Church, Llangollen, 1pm Tuesday 2nd July 2019
Conductor: George Holloway, Piano: Tom Green
Repertoire included: Jiangsu folk song Jasmine Flower, three of Chen Yi’s Chinese Mountain Songs, Richard Strauss Devotion, Gabriel Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine, and newly commisioned works by Tom Green Who has seen the wind? and The Owl, Sam Cave …the magic in my eyes…, and George Holloway Red Cliff.
The first of Chen Yi’s Chinese Mountain Songs:
“There is a Flower”- Holloway Children’s Choir Acapella Recital
Amphitheatre Stage, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, 5:30pm, Wednesday 3rd July 2019
Conductor: George Holloway
Repertoire: Melchior Vulpius There is a Flower, Zoltán Kodály Hegyi Ejszakák (On the Mountain Top) and Esti Dal (Evening Song) , part songs by Béla Bartók, Eugen Suchoň Aká Si Mi Krásna (How Beautiful You Are!) and the late 13th century rota (round) Summer is a-coming in.
“…with magic in my eyes…”- New Compositions for Children’s Choir
Storyhouse, Chester, 1:30pm, Thursday 4th July 2019
Conductor: George Holloway, Piano: Tom Green
The choir commissioned 4 new works specially for the UK tour, three of which were featured here, alongside the choral suite from an “opera for children’s choir” by George Holloway, which the choir premiered in Tianjin Conservatory of Music in January 2018:
Tom Green Who has seen the wind?, Sam Cave (b.1987) …with magic in my eyes…, Tom Green The Owl, George Holloway (b.1983) Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant (choral suite from the opera for children’s choir).
Sam Cave’s …with magic in my eyes… on YouTube:
“Jasmine Flower”- Holloway Children’s Choir Chinese choral works’ recital
Globe Stage, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, 11:30pm, Friday 5th July 2019
Conductor: George Holloway, Piano: Tom Green
Jiangsu folk song Jasmine Flower, Chen Yi (b.1953) Chinese Mountain Songs, Huang Zi (1904-1938) Seeing Plum Blossom in the Snow, Wang Liping (b.1941) The Sea, Ah! My Hometown!, George Holloway Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant (finale from the choral suite of the opera for children’s choir).
《大海，啊！故鄉》