On February 20, 14 of our Secondary students plus our Music Teacher Mr Ethan and Ms Tina had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai to participate in the 12th Annual ISCMS Music Festival. They share a passion for collaborative music making and creativity, alongside 400 students from other Asia pacific countries and the Middle East.

The festival, which was organised by the International Schools Choral Music Society （ISCMS）, involved three full days of intense rehearsals led by Orchestral Director Dr Bob Hasty, Choral Director David Squire, as well as music teachers from different schools.

On February 23, the rehearsals culminated in a production of world-class performances at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall. ISCMS gave our participants an unrivalled and memorable experience to develop and grow as musicians through musical engagement with major choral and orchestral works.

The concert was stunning and inspiring from beginning to end. Our student Henry Yin （trumpet） did a stellar job when he played the leading trumpet part of the master piece “Young Person Guide to the Orchestra”.

Another highlight of the concert is to have Chris Artley, one of New Zealand’s leading writers of choral music, write a song called “Oh, My Children” for the festival. He has won first prize in 10 international composing competitions worldwide and had over 50 choral works .

The grand finale piece of the Gala Concert was a breath-taking performance of “Five Spirituals” from A Child of Our Time, a secular oratorio composed by the great British composer Michael Tippett.

Participating in a festival like ISCMS enriches students in many ways and is an excellent example of learning outside the classroom. Our students were outstanding ambassadors of YWIES Guangzhou, not only through their musical talents, but also their impeccable behaviour, manners, kindness and social interaction with fellow students and teachers.

Congratulations to Nancy Huang, Laurence Jiang, Sally Lin, Cindy Zhang, Jennifer Chen, Elly Lin, Jimmy Lin, Cathy Wu, Winnie Wu, Florence Wang, James Wu, Kitty Zeng, Sophia Zhong, Lisa Yue, and Henry Yin. We are so proud of what you have achieved.