April 30, 2008

Morningside College Choir departs May 12 for performance tour of China 

The Morningside College Choir departs May 12 for a 14-day tour of China that will include concert performances in some of the nation’s largest cities, including the capital city of Beijing.

The 38-member choir, under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Tim Watson, is scheduled to perform six concerts during the tour. Performances are planned for May 16 in Guangzhou, a southern China city of more than 8 million; May 17 and 18 in Xian, a central China city and one of the country’s ancient capitals; May 21 in Beijing, host city for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games; and May 22 and 24 in Shanghai, the largest city in China and one of the world’s busiest sea ports.

“The choir has been working throughout the spring semester to prepare for this concert tour,” Watson said. “All of us are excited and looking forward to the opportunity to share our music with the people of China and to experience their culture.”

Under the supervision of Patrick McKinlay, associate professor of history and political science, an additional group of 10 Morningside College students is traveling with the choir to study the political, economic and social dimensions of contemporary China. Morningside College President John Reynders is accompanying another group of 27 Morningside faculty, staff, alumni and friends who will travel with the choir.

The Morningside group is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on May 13 and to fly back to the United States on May 25. During the tour, the group will visit the Great Wall of China, the famous Qin Dynasty terra cotta warriors archaeological site, the 2008 Olympics venues, Tiananmen Square and many other sites.

One of the highlights will be a side trip that some members of the group will make to the city of Fuzhou and to Fujian Hwa Nan Women’s College, the first women’s college established in China. Lydia Trimble, a 1904 Morningside graduate, was one of the founders of the college in 1908 and served as its first president. Two other Morningside graduates – Ida Belle Lewis who graduated in 1909 and Lucy Wang who graduated in 1921 – served as the college’s second and third presidents, respectively.