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"Beautiful..." an evocative word whispered, soft yet audible, by one member of the audience in the centre block as the last chord of "Fei Tian" ebbed away into a moment of magical silence. Moments after, applause broke out from over a thousand audience for the combined orchestra made up of the Catholic High School Chinese Orchestra, and Tianjin Conservatory of Music Middle School Division Chinese Orchestra, performing in the Concert Hall of Tianjin for the Conservatory's annual concert and to commemorate the concert hall's long lasting history before being demolished and rebuilt days after. Through music, I finally found a common language and to intimately connect with people in a whole new way.
I started to learn music when I joined the Chinese Orchestra in Secondary One as my extra-curricular activity. I chose to join the orchestra partially due to my desire to take on the challenge of learning a new skill, and partially due to my longing to make more friends in my secondary school life since the Chinese Orchestra had a large number of members. My time in the orchestra has shaped my world view, and has instilled in me the importance of team work. I was determined not to be the weakest link in the team that would break under strain. Every morning, I would arrive at school one hour before the start of lessons to hone my percussion skills and practice the pieces that we would perform in the next concert. I understood that the pleasing and harmonious sounds we created were only possible because of the dedicated effort by every member of the orchestra. Music has also made me mellower person. I never gave up on causes I deem worthwhile, and always believed that no barrier is too difficult to overcome, because music has taught me perseverance.
We were invited to the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and perform in a joint concert as part of a student exchange program between the conservatory and the Catholic High School. We meet up with the Tianjin counterparts after hours of air travel, over a distance of over two thousand miles from the equator to forty degree North latitude. I had a lengthy discussion with Wan Yue, my Chinese host student. He was a sixteen year old top student in his class, specialized in percussion instruments, and an aspiring academia. What began as a question-and-answer session about life in Singapore soon turned into passionate exchange on ideologies, interests and aspirations. I was gratified to expand my horizons by listening to the perspective of someone with different background, areas of interest, and career goals.
On the afternoon of our performance, we came together and prayed for a successful concert, placing ourselves in the hands of the Almighty. There was a strong parallel between our purpose of visit and our performance piece "Fei Tian", a legendary tale of how people could soar freely, connecting the earth and the heaven. During our performance, I saw sprinkle of white lights in Erhu fading in circles, a flute solo fades blue to black, and the heavy drumbeats moving everyone sideways. We broke down walls and barricades and entered the universal world of music. Before ending the piece with a final strike on the bass drum, I took a glance at Wang Yue, who was standing in front of the xylophone, nodded, and played the last chord in synchrony. At that instant, there were palpable yet concealed waves that connected the audience with the performers.
With music, I found a new way to communicate and relate, and if the whole musical experience were to be summed in one word, it would be "beautiful".
