Last Thursday, Feb. 19, the Cornell Chorale had the historic opportunity to perform alongside an international ensemble, Taipei Voices, in their concert, titled “Cross the Sea.” These choirs, under the direction of Dr. Yen-Hsiang Nieh, performed a selection of contemporary Taiwanese works in collaboration with pianist Wei-Lun Tseng, celebrating the diverse culture of Taiwan in light of Lunar New Year. The performance took place in Sage Chapel, which was packed to the brim with friends, family and joyful ambiance. Overall, it was a heartwarming display of community, cultural unity and incredible talent.
The Cornell Chorale opened the concert with a series of pieces that will make a reappearance in their spring concert on April 19, with the most notable being “North” by Sleeping at Last, arranged by George Chung. For this song, the choir abandoned their typical configuration and spread out in front of the risers to physically take up more space for what would be a musically substantial piece. Though this piece started out gentle and quiet, featuring the choir’s treble voices, it built through the first verse, filling Sage Chapel with a vibrant, full-bodied sound. “Let our hearts, like doors, open wide,” the choir sang, each phrase flowing through the ensemble with tangible sincerity. The choir played into Dr. Nieh’s infectious enthusiasm for music, commanding the space with deep bass and sky-high sopranos. There was silence after the song ended, as if it was suspended time, allowing the final echoes to settle over the audience.
One thing I noticed during Chorale’s section of the performance were the smiles displayed across the board, indicating the genuine joy that these singers derive from making music together. Chorale is Cornell’s 113-voice community choir, so the ensemble is open to students, teachers and community members across the Tompkins County area. Department of Ecology staff member Jessie Gorges expressed that joining Chorale has been “like finding family on campus” and provides a welcome outlet for musical expression. Additionally, soprano section leader and community member Beth Bennett noted that most of the ensemble is not academically involved in music, yet they perform music at a high level. She pointed out that this is primarily due to Dr. Nieh’s constructive conducting style and his commitment to fostering a passion for both learning and performing music.
As previously mentioned, Dr. Nieh also conducts Taipei Voices. In fact, he founded the group in 2017, gathering together 17 singers of varying ages and backgrounds from across Taiwan who share a passion for choral music and Taiwanese culture. They have since gained momentum, performing at the University of Southern California in 2020 and Columbia University just over a week ago. Their set for this concert consisted of a variety of Taiwanese repertoire in varying languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Hakka and the dialect of the indigenous Rukai Tribe. Amongst these songs were adaptations of some traditional Taiwanese folk songs — “Grandma’s Penghu Bay” and “The Moon Represents My Heart.”
For this concert, Taipei Voices performed in a mixed configuration, meaning that singers of the same voice part were scattered across the stage and intermingled with other voice parts, creating a more uniform sound. This uniformity was particularly impressive for a choir of 17, and their small size certainly did not stop them from packing a punch in the power department. Nor was the tone of their performance entirely uniform. Songs ranged from upbeat and animated to borderline jazzy, referenced Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1 on more than one occasion and even included a playful song, “Beneath the Moonlight,” that could pass as an arrangement for a barbershop quartet. Many of the pieces were inspired by contemporary poetry and celebrated the joys and beauty of Taiwanese culture. The song that closed out Taipei Voices’ section of the concert stood out in this regard: “Taiwan, Our Beloved Treasure.” Featuring sweeping motifs and flowing phrases like flower petals falling slowly to the ground, this song was loaded with adoring nostalgia and upon its conclusion brought several audience members to tears.
It was clear that the singers in Taipei Voices shared a profound respect for not only the music they were singing, but also the historical and cultural ties within each song. Dr. Nieh noted that it has “meant a lot” to have his choir join him this week, as “they couldn’t have the Lunar New Year with their family and friends” and instead chose to “cross the sea” to “share music that can really bring people together.”
The final song in the concert presented both choirs side by side, singing one of Dr. Nieh’s own award-winning arrangements, “Cina (Mother’s Eyes).” Featuring a powerful solo by Cornell’s own Po-Hsun (Brian) Chen, a graduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences, this song — and the concert as a whole — was a moving display of unity and collaboration, earning a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience.
Gia Lish is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at glish@cornellsun.com.
