BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—On Feb. 9, the Englewood Public Library hosted a “Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day Concert” by the Tenafly Singers Choir.
Led by Music Director Nengbin Fred Shih, 12 men and women performed songs celebrating these holidays in English and Taiwanese. Shih, an illustrious conductor in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and throughout the U.S., also accompanied the choir on the piano.
A sizeable group of music enthusiasts, including library members and guests, attended the performance that celebrated the Chinese “Year of the Pig,” which promises a year of prosperity, opportunity, and abundance.
The program included popular choral music by modern Taiwanese composers and famous melodies arranged for the vocal ensemble.
Because red is believed to be the color of good luck in Chinese culture, the women performers wore red blouses with ornate pins.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, the group sang several love songs, such as “Three Chinese Beauties,” a Chinese folk song medley that celebrates the iconic women of Chinese culture. The medley tells of young men’s admiration for the beautiful girls from the Uyghur tribe of the remote Xinjiang province, a famous love story from the Han Dynasty and the Mongolian beauty Rainbow Sister.
The concert also featured the iconic American songs, “When You Wish upon A Star” and “What a Wonderful World.”
Tenafly Singers choir was established in 2007 by a group of Chinese music lovers from the New York-metro area. The group attracts choral music lovers from Bergen County and around the region. Its members, aged 50 to 80-plus, are from all walks of life, including professionals in the education, medical and financial industries as well as entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and retirees.
Tenafly Singers choir is part of Tenafly Senior Center’s program and holds weekly practices at the center on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. They always welcome new members.
Minchen Chien served as the founding conductor of the Tenafly Singers, and Shih has been the music director since 2014. The choir has performed at illustrious venues such as Lincoln Center and the New York University Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. They also hold choral concerts in local community libraries and senior centers throughout Bergen County to celebrate special occasions such as Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and various holidays.
Tenafly Singers’ repertoire includes a variety of vocal music from diverse cultures with emphasis on English, Taiwanese and Chinese compositions.
Languages range from Mandarin Chinese to Taiwanese, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Song selections include musicals, Broadway productions, nursery rhymes, lullabies, folk music, romantic melodies, religious music and more.
Shih says that he enjoys working with the Tenafly Singers because, “They all love singing and they all love music. This group is popular because we communicate with the public and host cultural events for communities. We come from different worlds and music is the common language for the world.”