Last year, I decided to join a choral composition competition in Taiwan called 音為愛 Sing for Love. It is a biennial competition that emphasizes the importance of choral music in Taiwan through new freshly written love-themed music, and for the first time since its first batch, is no longer exclusive for Taiwanese only. A huge challenge for me though, is one of the rules: it must be written in either Mandarin, Taiwanese Minnan, Hakka, or Taiwan Aboriginal language(s).
There were some categories, so I wrote two songs–one for mixed choir category and the other for children choir category–and to my surprise I was awarded with high distinction (特優) –in other words, the first place–for my work for children choir, 《又是美好的一天》 (Another Beautiful Day). That was my first attempt to write a Mandarin song, and with my limited skills in Mandarin and a help from a good friend of mine, Danivu, I was so excited to hear it being premiered!
On 15 March 2025, a concert for the winning works was held in Zhongshan Hall, Taipei. I took part as one of the singers in Taipei Chamber Singers. All I can say is I was so happy to hear my works wonderfully performed by Hua Hsin Children Chorus! A bonus, one of my arrangements was performed by 3521 Rotary Choir, and some friends told me how they enjoyed both songs. I’m grateful that I am so blessed!
Some articles about the event: Musico | ET Today | CNA
PS. I’ll update with the video once it is on air.
Most photos by Dada Image