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International Community Choir to hold a concert to raise funds for charity
Today, in our spotlight series, we meet members of the International Community Choir. The choir was founded in 2003 and has been a safe haven for talented foreign residents to perform and give back to the community. For almost 20 years, the choir has been holding two concerts every year to give back to a local charity. Their upcoming concert is on December 11. FTV reporter Stephany Yang met some of the members to find out more.
The members of the choir rehearse "Gloria in Excelsis Deo." This is the International Community Choir, a group of talented singers who perform together to help raise funds for Saint Anne’s Home, a local charity in Taipei. The choir performs songs in many different languages including English, Taiwanese, Mandarin, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Hebrew.
In addition, they sing a variety of music genres ranging from jazz, swing, traditional carols and classical pieces. They are led by Ruby Lai, a conductor who has over 30 years of experience as a pianist and choir conductor.
Ruby Lai
Conductor
My goal is to let everyone feel renewed and enriched after each rehearsal. I try to pick a variety of music genres. We sing traditional carols, we do folk songs, classical pieces. We also do jazz, swing, gospel, and sometimes a capella. We do African music, Latin American music, and we sing tunes from the Broadway shows.
Founded in 2003, the International Community Choir hopes to unite women from the international community who love to sing and to raise funds for Saint Anne’s Home. There are currently 19 members, hailing from the U.S., Canada, Germany, India, and more.
Carrie Chiles
Member of choir
I’m originally from Canada but have lived in Taiwan for almost 30 years. When my children were young, I had a large family, and I had no personal time for myself. A friend of mine in the choir said, "Come and sing with us." I didn’t even know I could do that. But she helped me to facilitate to come and sing in the choir. It was the only time of the week that I had time for me. It filled my soul. I just felt like I met other people, it was a great social connection, and I was around music.
Sahar Shaikh
Member of choir
When I sing in the choir, it gives me the sense of togetherness, the sense of happiness. To see so many different ladies from diverse backgrounds imparting a truly multicultural aspect to the choir. The common thread underlying that all these ladies have is the joy of singing.
The choir meets Wednesday mornings for a 1.5-hour practice. Choir rehearsal practice starts with stretching, followed by vocal warm-ups, and singing songs. For many of the members, joining the choir has helped them find true friendship, belonging, a home away from home, and self-care.
Meredith Lee
Member of choir
I joined the choir in September of 2015. I had just moved to Taiwan. I actually served as manager for about six years. What I love about the choir is that in all honesty, it’s the highlight of my week. I always feel better when I get back from the choir. Just the sense of being around other people and singing gives me great joy. My day is always better after I spend time in the choir.
Shangning Postel-Heutz
Member of choir
Especially During COVID, there was one Christmas concert during COVID. No one of the expats could go home to their home country. They were here in the audience. You could feel their sadness but also their gratitude to be there. We as an expat community celebrating Christmas together due to COVID. This was an emotional moment for me.
Antonia Hoffman
Member of choir
All the money that comes from ticket sales goes to Saint Anne’s Home. Which is right next to the church here that we are in now. If you look out of the window, you can already see it. We try to invite as many people as possible because the home is for children with special needs, so they really need a lot of money. We are always happy that we can provide that.
Every year, International Community Choir holds two concerts, one in December and one in May.
Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
The concert will be held at the Mother of God Church. All proceeds will go to St. Anne’s Home.
All ticket proceeds are donated to a Saint Anne’s Home, a local charity in Tianmu that serves people with intellectual disabilities. The people at St. Anne’s Home also attend the concert every year.
Hannah Shu
St. Anne’s Home director
The most important thing here is to accommodate extremely severe cases. The youngest patient here is 23 years old, and the oldest is 52 years old. Our services here start from the moment they come in. We provide them with shelter, food, clothing, housing, and transportation. As soon as the person comes in, they will stay here until they grow up. The choir has sung for more than 20 years, twice a year without interruption. It also allows our patients to show their gratitude through their voices. We are very grateful for their help.
The choir will hold a concert on Dec. 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the Mother of God Church in Tianmu. The choir hopes to continue to give back to the community and bring holiday cheer to all.
2022-11-25
