NCPA Chorus performs at ShanghaiTech to open the inaugural season
ShanghaiTech faculty and student joint choir open the concert with a performance.
Students at ShanghaiTech did not have to leave campus to enjoy performances by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Chorus, including “Song of the Chile,” “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies,” “Ciranda da Lua,” and excerpts from the opera The Long March. On September 23, the NCPA Chorus presented the special concert “The Journey in Song” at the opening ceremony of ShanghaiTech’s inaugural Culture and Arts Season. Students and faculty had the opportunity to experience the artistry of the NCPA Chorus firsthand and enjoy the beauty of choral music.
Jiao Miao, director of the NCPA Chorus, conducts the ensemble.
“We not only educate students who are good at framing and solving problems, but also thoughtful, idealistic, and creative people who are both accomplished and interesting,” said President Feng Donglai in his opening remarks. He noted that, as a research university focused on science and engineering, ShanghaiTech has been committed since its founding to nurturing its science and engineering students through culture and the arts. The Culture and Arts Season, he said, is an important initiative in fulfilling the university’s core mission of educating students of strong character and in building an innovative, humanistic, and joyful campus.
Running for several months, the Culture and Arts Season brings together the university’s existing cultural resources and features nearly 30 events. It aims to expand the cultural spaces on campus, help scientific inquiry and humanistic literacy grow hand in hand, and give students and faculty more opportunities to engage with the arts, take part in cultural activities, and showcase their talents.
“To get close to culture and the arts, you first need time,” Feng said. He explained that, starting this semester, the university has optimized undergraduate course schedules to allow students more time to participate in cultural activities. He hopes to “give the time to students and give the stage to students,” so that campus life includes “not only class schedules and lab data, but also singing, applause, and laughter.” He encouraged students to step out of their dorms and labs, discover what they love, and appreciate the talents of their peers.
“Give students the time, and give them the stage”
Students and teachers from the School Affiliated to ShanghaiTech also attended the opening ceremony. Feng said he hopes that integrated education across primary school, secondary school, and university will let younger students experience university culture at an early stage and lay the groundwork for them to grow into innovators with both cultural literacy and artistic sensibility.
The event coincided with the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Before the concert, the ShanghaiTech Faculty Choir and Student Choir jointly performed “Set Out Again,” revisiting the spirit of the Long March through song. The concert closed with ShanghaiTech students and faculty representatives joining the NCPA Chorus to sing “ShanghaiTech Rixin Anthem.”