155 children present the "most beautiful snowflakes" of the Winter Olympics

"Snowflakes, snowflakes, open in the sun..." On February 4, at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the theme song "Snowflakes" sung by the children of the Beijing Philharmonic Choir resounded throughout the bird's nest, and the children's ethereal and clear voices fell into everyone's heart like crystal clear snowflakes.

The Beijing Philharmonic Choir has a deep relationship with the Olympic Games

On February 8, Yang Li, professor of the Conducting Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, head of the Beijing Philharmonic Choir and artistic director, said in an exclusive interview with the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that due to the change of the performance plan, the number of choirs in this performance is also an increasing process, from the first 40 people selected in October, to the later 80 people, and then to the final determination of 138 people, plus more than ten substitute team members, a total of 155 children participated in the activity.

Founded in 1983 by the famous conductor and educator Yang Hongnian, the Beijing Philharmonic Choir is known to music lovers as the "Yang Hongnian Choir" and sometimes affectionately as the "Yang Troupe". This choir is not only the benchmark of domestic children's chorus, but also has a deep relationship with the Olympic Games, not only participated in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the choir in 1993 and 2001 have helped Beijing bid for the Olympic Games, with singing to show the world the style of Chinese children; at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the choir sang "Ode to the Olympics" in the form of a cappella children's chorus. Yang Li said, "From the bid for the Olympic Games to the opening of the two Olympic Games, the close connection between the choir and the Olympic Games is particularly valuable. By participating in these activities, the children's growth and harvest in them is very great. ”

Strict screening Sound and body training is difficult

The choir was tasked with the theme song of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in October 2021. Yang Li revealed that 40 children were initially asked to be selected, but because the plan has been in flux, 138 children eventually took to the stage to perform. As the number of children grows, so does the difficulty of rehearsals.

In order to show the feeling of innocence, the director team required the show to be mainly elementary school students, and there were stricter regulations on the age and height of the actors. Yang Li said, "The performance team of our choir is basically a junior high school student, because children above the sixth grade have better voice expression and more mature understanding of songs. The main requirement of this performance is elementary school students, so it is not easy to select the right small actors. ”

Considering the principle of confidentiality, the young actors can only memorize the score on the spot during the rehearsal, and when the rehearsal is over, they must return the score and cannot take it home. This requires them to ensure the accuracy of the score in a very short period of time, but also to ensure the rapid running-in to form a harmonious and unified sound.

In addition to the hard work required for sound training, there are also many difficulties in acting. Yang Li said, "The children in our choir have great voices and good musical literacy, but performance is a weakness, and we spent a long time in this regard." ”

Wang Yuxuan, who served as the leader of the Beijing Philharmonic Choir, recalled, "At the beginning, we had a lot of children, especially little boys, who were uncoordinated, so we spent a lot of time cutting the movements. Wang Yuyan told the Beiqing Daily reporter that from whether there is light in the eyes to the coordination of the movements, the teachers have carried out a full range of physical training for the children. The boy's lead singer Xiang Yining is an introverted and slow child, Wang Yuyan said, "When I first met him, he even laughed very unnaturally, but his voice was so good." So we helped him start by practicing biting chopsticks, training his apple muscles to gradually lift up, and slowly adding some body movements. The kid practiced very hard and he ended up doing particularly well. ”

The children's efforts coincide with the Olympic spirit

Being able to contribute at the opening ceremonies of the two Olympic Games is very rare for a choir. In Yang Li's view, the choir members who participated in the opening performance of the 2008 Olympic Games and the opening performance of the 2022 Winter Olympics are completely two generations, "In 14 years, the entire social environment and family environment have undergone very big changes, and the children's vision is completely different." Today's children are more thoughtful and have more independent personalities. This is also one of the difficulties in cultivation, and it is even more rare for children with personality to truly understand what is the relationship between personality and commonality, what is the relationship between 'me' and 'us'. ”

Yang Li revealed that more than 100 children from 111 schools in Beijing participated in the choir' activities, and everyone came together for a common goal. After more than 100 days of getting along, "the children are completely cohesive together"

At the end of the performance, all the actors came to the field, everyone cheered together, and Yang Li and the teachers also ran up to hug the children. Wang Yuyan said, "Everyone was very excited, gathered together, clapped, hugged, many children cried, this is an unforgettable experience for everyone." ”

Yang Li believes that "the purpose of the Olympics is faster, higher, stronger and more united, not only reflected in sports, which is the common pursuit of mankind, but also in art." In the process of participating in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, the children showed the ultimate pursuit of art, the spirit of not being afraid of hardship and tiredness, and the strong cohesion, which coincided with the Olympic spirit, and everyone benefited a lot in the whole process. ”

Text/Reporter Tian Wanting Coordinator/Man Yi

Photo courtesy of Xinhua News Agency