VCU Choral Group in Pre-Olympics Tribute in China

The Commonwealth Singers, a select choral ensemble of Virginia Commonwealth University students, will appear in concerts in Beijing and Shanghai during a MidAtlantic Choral Tribute to the 2008 Beijing Olympics scheduled from May 27 to June 5. John Guthmiller, director of choral activities and chairman of the VCU Department of Music, will conduct the Commonwealth Singers […]

May 22, 2008; 11:34 PM • by FTRea

The Commonwealth Singers, a select choral ensemble of Virginia Commonwealth University students, will appear in concerts in Beijing and Shanghai during a MidAtlantic Choral Tribute to the 2008 Beijing Olympics scheduled from May 27 to June 5.

John Guthmiller, director of choral activities and chairman of the VCU Department of Music, will conduct the Commonwealth Singers and singers from four other schools in the featured performances in Beijing and Shanghai, which will also include a Chinese orchestra and four Chinese soloists. The combined group will include more than 185 singers. The four other schools with choral ensembles participating in the concerts are Walsingham Academy (Williamsburg, Va.), North Harford High School (Pylesville, Md.), Kansas City Christian School (Kansas City, Mo.) and Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa).

“I can think of no finer cultural offering for the 2008 Olympic Games than to stage this collection of talented singers in a true salute to the spirit of the Olympic Games,” Guthmiller said. “We hope that these performances contribute to the creation of lasting partnerships between the people of China and America.”

The singers will perform Carl Orff’s famous cantata “Carmina Burana,” portions of which routinely appear in movies and television commercials, during their appearances at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and the Cultural Arts Center in Shanghai. The American singers will also perform in smaller groups at other venues in China, including local schools and universities.

In addition, Guthmiller said he envisions the groups will break into impromptu concerts during their trip. For instance, Guthmiller served as a conductor for a choral tour of the Soviet Union and Poland in 1979, and the group held performances in such unexpected locations as a salt mine in Poland and a train station in Kiev.

– The information above was provided by Tom Gresham, VCU Communications & Public Relations

May 22, 2008 11:34 PM 0