The alumni choir of National Taiwan University in Northern California held their annual concert themed “Neither Wind Nor Rain, Nor Sunny” in Palo Alto on August 24th, attracting nearly 400 audience members. After each song, there was thunderous applause and a warm atmosphere filled the venue.
On that day, the 40 members of the choir gathered to perform 18 moving songs. The repertoire included touching pieces such as “Ave Maria” and “Save Me” in the “Honoring Heaven” section, as well as a Xinjiang folk song by Wang Luobin, and the classic work “Looking Back Again” by Lo Ta-yu. The intertwining of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices in harmony moved the audience deeply, providing a feast for the ears. This performance not only celebrated the choir’s 19th anniversary but also paid tribute to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National Taiwan University Choir.
Choir leader Wang Meiling expressed that the members of the choir were very dedicated, approaching every practice session with great seriousness. Due to high demand for tickets in the previous year caused by limited venue capacity, they moved to a larger venue this year in hopes of accommodating more audience members for this grand event. She also mentioned that the theme of the performance, “Neither Wind Nor Rain, Nor Sunny”, aimed to encourage everyone to face life’s ups and downs with resilience, not wavering in the face of challenges.
The musical director and conductor Fang Yushan stated that in the process of organizing the choir, they encountered numerous difficulties. Many members initially lacked choir experience, but the choir’s greatest success lies in their continuous improvement. This year’s performance level showed significant progress compared to the previous year.
Vice choir leader Huang Jinren remarked that the performance was a great success. This was due to everyone’s passion for choir singing. Most choir members have been engaging in choir activities since their university days or even earlier, and this passion has always been the driving force for them. To present a high-quality performance, each member put in tremendous effort, not only memorizing a large amount of music but also dedicating extra time to practice. “We rehearsed every Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5 pm, and after a year of relentless effort, we achieved the results we have today,” he said.
The concert lasted for two hours, and at the end, the choir performed two encore pieces. After the performance concluded, audience members approached the stage, offering flowers, creating a touching scene. ◇