The Yale Alumni Chorus began the first of what would be many overseas adventures with an inaugural tour to China in 1998 shortly after a visit by U.S. President Clinton had re-ignited ties between the two nations.
The chorus of 180 singers, ranging in age from 26 to 86, traveled to Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. In Beijing, the Chorus sang in the IV International Chorus Festival of China, where we won first prize. We learned the impact of sharing music across borders as audience broke into spontaneous cheers when the Chorus began singing a local folk song in Chinese. We further bridged the cultural divide by performing with Chinese musicians from the United National Symphony Orchestra of China and the Pomegranate Flower Singing School Children’s Choir.
In Xi’an, we had a cultural exchange with the Xi’an Normal School, during which YAC donated a full set of English hand-bells with instruction in their use and shared performances of music and dance with the school’s students. For most of us, this became the most magical moment of the tour. It was further enhanced by home visits where we made dumplings and shared a meal with our Chinese hosts.
Our formal concert in Xi’an was with the Shaanxi Province Symphony Orchestra, and our final concert was in Shanghai with the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and the Cao Yang Senior Citizens' Society Chorus.
Dancers from the Xi’an Normal School during a cultural exchange with the Yale Alumni Chorus in China on July 31, 1998.