mongolia children's choir

I was so excited to be able to attend the first half of the International Choir Concert, which featured the Inner Mongolia Children’s Choir. This is an ensemble comprised of 80 singers ranging from ages 12-17, and conducted by Yalungerile, the first Chinese woman to receive a master’s degree in performance. Her passion and dedication to this choir were evident through her powerful conducting and careful attention to detail in each piece. Her students clearly were engaged as well – they were wonderfully expressive and always connected to the music. The singers also interacted with each other while singing, making the performance very enjoyable to watch.
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The choir performed three diverse pieces that implemented the use of extended  vocal techniques, such as whispering and vocal percussion. Some pieces featured accompaniments by instruments unique to the Mongolian culture, such as the morin khuur, a traditional bowed instrument with two strings. Students from the choir played these instruments, and they had great mastery in playing instruments as well  as singing. Among my favorite elements of the pieces were the close dissonances that appeared often; the singers performed them with passion.  The choir had an immense sound that echoed through the sanctuary, and had the audience members on their feet the instant the final piece ended.


-Christine DeNobile, IC ACDA Fundraising Chair