4th Sing for Love Outreach Lectures Conclude

The 4th Sing for Love outreach lecture series, presented in turn by Chung-Yuan Yu and Jia Fen Wong, and by 鍾永豐, concluded on 22 November. Thank you to all the lovers of choral music and creative writing who came and raised so many thoughtful questions.

In the first half, Chung-Yuan Yu and Jia Fen Wong held an in-depth discussion of “artistry” and “singability,” presenting “Silly Child” (戇囡仔), a prize-winning work from the 1st Sing for Love competition, along with outstanding winning works from this edition. Through concrete musical analysis, they explored how to strike a balance between “artistry” and “popular appeal” in composition. Both speakers also generously revealed which qualities they considered most important when judging, offering valuable guidance to the composers and songwriters present.

In the second half, 鍾永豐 spoke on “What Makes Lyrics ‘Contemporary’?”, leading us to rethink the weight of lyrics. Taking the work “The Dark Sky Across the Way” (對面烏) as an example, 鍾永豐 stressed the importance of firsthand experience for a lyricist: writers must go out and do real fieldwork and hold genuine conversations with the people they write about in order to write lyrics that truly reach the heart and are full of life.

Thank you once again to all three speakers for sharing so generously. The Sing for Love project is dedicated to seeking out outstanding choral works and sowing the seeds of creation; we look forward to seeing everyone turn what they gained from these lectures into the next song to be sung far and wide.