Fifty-eight members of the Miami University Glee Club traveled to China in June to sing for a kickoff to the Summer Olympic Games.
According to Ethan Sperry, the director of Miami University's Glee Club, the choir was asked if they wanted to be a part of the festival two years ago after a performance. The festival director wanted a large male chorus and the Miami University Men's Glee Club made up the majority of it.
The Glee Club took advantage of the opportunity and turned the trip into a tour. The men had a concert and student exchange at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and Liaoning Normal University in Dalian, the headquarters of Miami's Confucius Institute. This gave the choir the rare opportunity to meet and interact with the citizens of China. The choir also performed at the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. The final concert was located at the Oriental Art Center in Shanghai, which is an institute similar to the Julliard in New York City.
For the trip, the choir learned a few songs in Chinese. This had a huge impact on their audiences. The Chinese sing everything from Italian arias to American pop songs in Chinese and so they expected the Glee Club to sing Chinese songs in English, Sperry said.
The Chinese government does not usually allow sacred music to be sung in public places and so the director was excited when the Glee Club was given special permission to sing "Ave Maria". After the performance the Chinese director loved the piece so much that the director asked for the music.
The Miami University Glee Club found Chinese audiences to be open and appreciative of their music.
"The Chinese people were friendly, open, and very willing to talk to you," Sperry said. "It just goes to show you that there is no substitute for meeting people."
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