Vancouver Penglai Chorus held its 36th concert, with the theme surrounding the moon and reunion

The Penglai Choir sang "Moonlight in the City" and invited cellist Shin-Jung Nam to serve as accompaniment. (Photo by reporter Zhang Lingzhu)

The Vancouver Penglai Choir held its 36th concert on September 26. Since it is the Mid-Autumn Festival and the reunion of people with a full moon, the theme of the concert revolves around the moon, which is "Yue Niang" in Taiwanese. The choir sang a number of classic songs including "The Moon Represents My Heart", "The Moon Lady of Ershui" and "The Star on the Zenith". With beautiful harmonies, it praised the scenery of Taiwan and Canada, and also sang about the familiar people and places in life, so that everyone can find the direction of home by following the moonlight, no matter where they are at the moment.

Penglai Choir conductor Ba Ruyu said that she specially selected two masterpieces in Taiwanese by Taiwanese composer Zheng Zhiren. Among them, "The Moon Girl of Ershui" depicts the beauty of her hometown and family affection, showing the beauty of Taiwan's human geography; "The Star in the Zenith" is like the starlight in the night sky, evoking people's longing for their mother. The choir also sang the familiar Hakka song "You with a Swinging Head", and the "Lai Hsin Foundation", which pays attention to socially disadvantaged girls, invited composer Chen Mingzhang to create "I Am Our Baby" in 1993. "I Am Our Baby" was later widely sung. When the September 21 earthquake occurred in 1999, this song also became one of the songs to support the reconstruction of the disaster area. On important occasions where Taiwanese folks gather in Canada, you can often hear a choir singing this Taiwanese song.

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The Penglai Choir, headed by Guo Feng, has been established for 36 years thanks to the efforts of successive leaders including Dai Zhenhua. Its members are mainly Taiwanese immigrants. The concert held by the Penglai Chorus on the 26th was packed with seats. Guests such as Liu Lixin, Taipei Economic and Cultural Affairs Director in Vancouver, Zhang Weilin, a federal Liberal MP, and Guo Shuzhen, the leader of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Team, were present to listen.

In addition to singing Mandarin songs, Taiwanese songs, and Hakka songs, the Penglai Choir also sang the jazz classic "Fly Me to the Moon", the romantic "Stars and Moon" and "Under the Silver Moonlight", and the famous Japanese chorus work "Ode to the Earth", adding different levels of emotion to the concert. The closing song "Moonlight in the City" specially invites cellist Shin-Jung Nam to join the performance. The cello and piano ensemble make the main melody more three-dimensional and full. Finally, "Long Pass" is used as the finale to echo the opening "I Am Song - Je Suis Chanson".

The 36th annual concert of Vancouver Penglai Chorus was successfully held. Group leaders Guo Feng (fifth from left in the front row), Zhang Weilin (fourth from left in the front row), and Liu Lixin (sixth from left in the front row) took photos with the group members and guests. (Provided by Penglai Chorus)

When the choir sang "Moonlight in the City", the audience and guests in the audience took out their mobile phones and turned on the lights to represent the twinkling stars in the sky and accompany the moon. (Photo by reporter Zhang Lingzhu)