On the evening of March 12, the “Songs Across the Ocean” choral concert, performed by the the Yale Spizzwinks acappella group from Yale University in collaboration with faculty and students from DHU as well as its affiliated school, was held at Jinxiu Hall on the Songjiang Campus of DHU. Over 900 attendees, including university leaders, faculty, and students, gathered to witness Chinese and American youth bridging cultures through the universal language of music.
(The concert)
The Yale Spizzwinks, one of the oldest acappella singing group of undergraduates in the world, has actively promoted cross-cultural exchange. During the performance, the choir presented classic Western songs such as “Blue Skies” and “No Regrets”, while also performing popular Chinese classics like “Haohan Ge (Hero Songs)” and “When You Are Old”, as well as rendering Chinese and American songs like “Wake Freshmen Wake” and “Olive Tree” in an innovative way. With rich harmonies and nuanced emotional expressions, the members of the Yale Spizzwinks delivered each piece with great passion, which deeply moved the audience.
(The concert)
At the concert, the DHU-Singers and the Chuying Choir of The Exprimental School Affiliated to DHU performed the traditional Chinese folk song “The Boat Song of Wusuli River” and the children’s rhyme “Coloured Frog”. The finale featured a joint performance of the song “Auld Lang Syne” by all Chinese and American participants.
(Cultural exchange of Chinese and American students)
Besides the concert, the members of the Yale Spizzwinks also engaged in cultural exchanging activities with DHU’s Chinese Folk Music Ensemble, members of DHU-Singers, student leaders and volunteers. Together, they toured DHU’s Songjiang Campus and the Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park. At the DHU Student Activity Center, the members of Chinese Folk Music Ensemble showcased traditional instruments like suona, guzheng, pipa, ruan, and dizi with their superb skills, while members of DHU-Singersexchanged vocal techniques with their American peers. The youth from both countries also experienced the production of traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage – lacquered fans. With the activities,the youth accomplished a cross-cultural dialogue and enjoyed the richness of Chinese traditional culture.
(Cultural exchange of Chinese and American students)
DHU has upheld its educational philosophy of “educating through beauty, refining through beauty, and cultivating through beauty”, dedicating itself to the in-depth exploration and practice of aesthetic education. DHU has also established an Arts Education Center as a dedicated institution for art and quality-oriented education. Over the past 20 years, DHU has offered nearly 100 general art courses across multiple art disciplines to more than 70,000 students, organized over 200 art performances both on and off-campus, created more than 40 themed concerts and performances with rich spiritual and cultural connotations and high artistic standards, and conducted nearly 100 aesthetic education assistance activities. DHU has furthered international cultural and artistic exchanges in countries such as Russia, Hungary, and Kenya, enhancing the influence of its arts education. DHU will further integrate art and academic education, strengthen global artistic partnerships, and empower students to become culturally confident, artistically literate, and globally minded talents.
