Vocal asia

Gay Singers, a well-established a cappella group in Hong Kong, whose members are all graduates of the Music Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. They aimed at promoting a cappella music through concerts and media, and were invited to perform in Seoul, Taiwan, Macau and various cities in the Republic of China. They have published 5 CDs until now, and were invited for cross-over performances with various symphony orchestra, drama group and dance group.

The Gay Singers began as a collegiate team, with all eight members being graduates of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Their interest in a cappella singing continued after leaving the university, and soon became a uniting force for the alumni to sing for themselves as well as to perform for others.
Although a cappella singing has yet to become a mainstream performing format in Hong Kong, the Gay Singers have been able to make their voices heard, literally, in the mainstream media. They were featured in the Hong Kong Connection series, an RTHK documentary programme, performed on the charity gala show to raise funds for the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and were presented with the Lifestyle Award by Metro Radio. The group even cut the first-ever a cappella version of the Chinese national anthem for NOW TV.

In Jul 2007, the Gay Singers were invited by the Hong Kong Government to participate in celebration activities on the Mainland, in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Hong Kong SAR. With the generous financial support of Home Affairs Bureau, the group also appeared in Space International a Cappella Festival presented by the national television station of South Korea as well as Taiwan International Choral Ensemble Festival.

As the only a cappella group in Hong Kong with a discography to its credit, the Gay Singers have released four CD’s to date. The next one will be coming in 2010 summer.
The group has chosen the western classical vocal tradition in favour of the dominating trends of pop, rock, Jazz and doo-wap. But in terms of repertoire and rendition, it goes for the contemporary ‘fusion’ style that has made Hong Kong unique, a style that incorporates the classical and the modern and shows an East-West mix.

Future plans of the Gay Singers include publishing sheet music and establishing the experimental “Gay Singer’s School of A Cappella for the Youth.” The group will also uses its accumulated revenue to set up“Gay Singer’s A Cappella Development Fund” that will sponsor selected events in the region and present foreign teams to sing in Hong Kong.

 

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