Celebrating ties with music

The NUSChoir, together with the Yale Alumni Chorus and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, gave a rousing performance on 26 June in celebration of the warm ties between NUS and Yale University.

In his message for the concert programme, NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan commented on NUS’ “long and deep ties with Yale in many areas of scholarship and student life”, highlighting in particular the groundbreaking collaboration on Yale-NUS College.

The concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall featured an all-Mozart repertoire; and the highlight was Mozart’s Requiem Op. 626 which gathered the 85-strong Chorus, 56 members of The NUSChoir and 41 musicians from the Orchestra on stage. Soloists from NUS’ Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM) and the Yale Alumni Chorus filled the hall with poignant strains that were warmly received.

Year 4 Arts and Social Sciences student Linus Ong from The NUSChoir shared, “Having sung with the Yale Alumni Chorus last year during the Yale Choral Festival, it is really great to have the chance to sing again with them in Singapore. The opportunity to learn from such an established choir is a rare one indeed, not only musically, but also for the chance to share our cultural experiences.” The NUSChoir was the only Asian choir invited to perform at the second Yale International Choral Festival last year.

The harmonious exchange of music and culture continued as The NUSChoir and Yale Alumni Chorus sang before an appreciative audience at the Yale-NUS College Performance Hall on 28 June. Both choirs then staged a combined performance of Sunset by the late composer Mr Leong Yoon Pin, drawing thunderous applause and ending the evening on a high note.

The NUSChoir took centre stage during the concert on 28 June, flanked by the Yale Alumni Chorus

By NUS Centre For the Arts