Founded in 1995, the Nankai University Student Choir (NKU Student Choir) consists of students from different colleges of Nankai University. After relentless efforts made over two decades, the choir has seen constant improvements in its levels of artistry and organization under the leadership of Prof. Meng Chaomei, the permanent conductor of the choir. The choir has evolved from being an amateur student association to a world-renowned music group.

In recent years, the NKU Student Choir has frequently participated in professional chorus contests and has given performances both at home and abroad, making remarkable achievements in the process. The choir was awarded the First Prize of Vocal Music in all the past five National College Student Art Performances. The Choir has amassed accolades around the world. In 1998, the choir won the “Vocal Performance Award”, the highest prize of the 4th China International Chorus Festival (CICF); in 2001, three gold medals in the Grado International Choir Competition in Italy; in 2002, two golds and one silver in the second World Olympic Chorus Competition in Busan, South Korea, with Sheng Shi Li Yuan Qing, a Peking Opera chorus, taking first place in the Performing Chorus Section; in 2004, a total of four golds and one silver in Germany, including in the Eisenfeld International Choir Festival and the third World Olympic Chorus Competition (Bremen); in 2009, two golds in the first World Chorus Competition in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea; in 2012, three golds in the 7th World Chorus Competition in Cincinnati, the United States; in 2014, three golds in the 8th World Chorus Competition, held in Riga, Latvia, with the entry, “Farewell My Concubine”, ranking first in the Performing Folk Section; in 2016, three golds and two titles in the 9th World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia; and in 2018, the title of overall winner in the Best Voice International Chorus Competition in Barcelona, Spain, with three first prizes in three different sections.

Designated by China’s Ministry of Education and the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), the choir has organized concerts or given performances to commemorate important foreign affairs. The choir was invited to go on a concert tour from 2009 to 2010.  Entitled “A Beautiful Jasmine”, the tour brought them to the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, and Garrison Girls School. In the same period, the choir also participated in “Year of the Chinese Language” activities and the Confucius Institute serial performances in Russia, Spain, Portugal, and other countries, following the lead of China’s College Students Art Troupe. In October 2015, the choir held special concerts in four Confucius Institutes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Cuba. In October 2016, the choir was invited to perform at five Confucius Institutes in the UK to pass on Chinese culture and display the vigor of contemporary college students, which were well received by the local audience.

Boasting various performance styles and high artistic standards, Nankai University Student Choir has become the backbone in the promotion of elegant arts, booming campus culture, and the spread of Chinese culture.

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