Author：Vocal Asia Editors
Translated by : Jay Gao
Taiwan Choral Music Center(TCMC)’s annual music festival is almost here - the 2014 Spring Vocal Festival. This time we are privileged to interviewTCMC’s Pop & Jazz Artistic Director Ray Chu to talk about this event.
This event will start from April 13th and end on the 29th which will include the ‘Super Vocal Carnival’ hosted by a varieties of Taiwanese groups, a collaboration performance from three international groups for the ‘This is i A Cappella Gala Concert’ and ‘A Cappella Crazy Taiwan Tour Concert’. Ray said, there are three things which will make this year’s concert very special.Firstly, this year’s ‘Super Vocal Carnival’ will be hosted in Taipei StationEsliteMetro Mall Square, which could allow more than 200 people at the same time and could be even more with on-lookers. TCMC hosted the ‘Sing SingSingA Cappella Family Session’ last year which aims at people from all ages. There are also dedicated A Cappella classes for those who are over the age of 50 and free classes for those with disability. These initiative have indirectly encouraged the formation of new groups and is partially why we have received record number of entries for this year’s ‘Super Vocal Carnival’. There were over thirty groups applying and twenty have progressed to the next round and will be performing together on April 20th.
Lastly, Ray especially mentioned the three international groups, each has its own specialty. ‘Piece of Cake’ from Japan is a delicate duo group, the lead vocal Daisuke Ito is known for his Jazz vocals and freestyle.On the other hand, Mal has a powerful voice and great control of tempo. The combination of their singing has no boundaries. Despite only having two performers, their combined vocal performanceare quite stunning and exciting to watch. American ‘Musae’ is anall-female pop singing group, their member are the best from all over America. Each team member focus on their own specialty and showcase their best talent. The Sweden group ‘Vocal Six’ has been performing mainstream pop and early classics for the past 25 years. Six handsome gentlemen display their enthusiastic humorous performance easily makes their audience fall in love with their magical voices. These three groups will be performing at the noon and night sessions of the ‘This is i A Cappella Gala Concert’ on the April 19th to showcase a mixture of vocals from the east and the west.
It is clear that ‘2014 Spring Vocal Festival’ has become an annual tradition and signature A Cappella event in Taiwan. Ray Chu thinks, Taiwanese cultural assets are well established and through this Spring Festival event, we are not only providing opportunities for domestic groups to perform but also have the chance to invite international groups to come and show them more than just our hospitality, but a true cultural and musical exchange. In addition to the various workshops and master classes scheduled for the Spring Festival, Ray is happy to see that other local governments and organizations are hosting similar vocal festivals which will provide ample opportunities for both domestic and international to perform for Taiwanese audience.
Related Links:
1. TCMC Taiwan Choral Music Center Facebook Page
2. 2014 Spring Vocal Festival Offical Website
3. 2014 Spring Vocal Festival Gala Concert Tickets Info
