Untitled Document

The Gay Singers

Songs without accompaniment

By Tse Ting Ting

Courtesy of Gay Singers

Courtesy of Chung Chi College

The Gay Singers, include Chiu Wai,Fung Mei, Yu Suet,Chung Ming, So Ton, Yue Hang, Pak Shing and Fung Tung, they are all alumni of Chung Chi College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The Gay Singers want to bring happiness to their audiences.

They sing without instrumental accompaniment, but their songs have a lot of the sound effects of drums, strings and animal sounds. They are not pop singers, but their concerts are full of audience cheers and laughter. They are eight a cappella performers, The Gay Singers.
A cappella means "singing without instrumental accompaniment". The phrase was first used in Italian Catholic churches to describe songs sung in chapels.

Question: When were The Gay Singers formed?
Answer: During the 1994 Chung Chi College singing contest, some of us organized a male a cappella singing group composed of music students from Chung Chi College. We performed occasionally at the University for the next four years. Until 1998, the present eight-voice a cappella group included four females and four males.

Q: Why did you call yourselves "The Gay Singers"?
A: The word "gay" is pronounced as "chi" in Chinese, which is the name of our college. Gay also means happy in English. Similar to our namesake, our music is full of joy and laughter. We want our audience to feel relaxed and refreshed after listening to our music and watching our performances.

Q: What are the characteristics of your performances?
A: We sing without using any musical instruments. Instead, we use our voices to create sound effects. We sometimes imitate the noises of animals and motor engines.
We also add new elements to classical music. For example, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a popular melody which expresses serious and strong feelings. In a recent concert, we introduced this song by telling our audience that Beethoven composed the song for us. We sang "la-la-la" to start the melody and added lyrics of "Gay Singers" after the strongest part. That is the way we create our own music style.

Q: What motivates you to sing?
A: Music itself is fascinating. If you love music, you will also know how to love the world and the people around you. It is the music itself which gives us passion to sing.
In addition, friendship and happiness are certainly the major drives. We feel happy and excited when we sing together. Our rehearsals are like gatherings of old friends.
Supportive families and friends help us a lot. Chung Ming's mother often prepares delicious Chinese soup for us. Our friends also give us suggestions after attending our performances. Their opinions motivate us to make improvements.
Positive feedback from our audience is encouraging. Their support keeps us motivated to perform.

Q: How do you choose your songs for performances?
A: Actually we sing a wide range of songs, such as Cantonese pop songs from the '50s and '60s, children's folk songs and classical music. We never stick to one type of music only.
We don't have fixed roles in our group. All of us are free to express our opinions and ideas. This helps us to come up with some unexpected yet creative ideas. Sometimes our inspirations come from our silly jokes.

Q: What changes have The Gay Singers experienced within the past eight years?
A: Changes are inevitable. When we were students, we always had enough time to discuss our ideas before practicing. However, we all have full-time jobs now, so finding time to meet is not easy. Sometimes we only have two days to practice a new song.
We used to be more self-centered when we were students. We rejected performing opportunities without thinking twice and we easily gave up some songs when we faced difficulties.
After we signed a contract with a record company and gained some publicity, however, we needed to think comprehensively before making decisions. The company has invested time and money in us. We are not only performing for our own sake now, but we are also performing for our company. Therefore, we need to be responsible.

Q: Have you ever made any mistakes in your shows?
A: Actually, we make mistakes very often. Because a cappella requires a good quality of voice expression, it is difficult for us to maintain a perfect standard all the time.
Once, during a performance, Yue Hang and So Ton forgot their parts which resulted in silence during the middle part of a song. Another time, Yu Suet mixed up the sound effects of different animals.
Nevertheless, we never dwell on our mistakes. Every mistake becomes a joke in the future. We are so glad to have some things to laugh at each other. Everybody makes mistakes. Imperfections can be entertaining for the audience.

Q: How would you comment on the music industry in Hong Kong?
A: Many people think that the local music industry is dominated by pop music only. We do not agree with this. There are musicians in Hong Kong who perform different kinds of music. Unfortunately, Listening to pop music is a trend and people are reluctant to change their taste.

Q: What would you say to young music lovers?
A: We believe music lovers cherish music from the bottom of their hearts. Young people should try to expose themselves to different kinds of music before indulging in any specific genre, or they will miss the chance to appreciate better things. For students of music, remember that learning music requires time and efforts before you can reach success.

Next

Courtesy of Gay Singers	Courtesy of Chung Chi College

The Gay Singers, include Chiu Wai,Fung Mei, Yu Suet,Chung Ming, So Ton, Yue Hang, Pak Shing and Fung Tung, they are all alumni of Chung Chi College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.	The Gay Singers want to bring happiness to their audiences.
They sing without instrumental accompaniment, but their songs have a lot of the sound effects of drums, strings and animal sounds. They are not pop singers, but their concerts are full of audience cheers and laughter. They are eight a cappella performers, The Gay Singers. A cappella means "singing without instrumental accompaniment". The phrase was first used in Italian Catholic churches to describe songs sung in chapels. Question: When were The Gay Singers formed? Answer: During the 1994 Chung Chi College singing contest, some of us organized a male a cappella singing group composed of music students from Chung Chi College. We performed occasionally at the University for the next four years. Until 1998, the present eight-voice a cappella group included four females and four males. Q: Why did you call yourselves "The Gay Singers"? A: The word "gay" is pronounced as "chi" in Chinese, which is the name of our college. Gay also means happy in English. Similar to our namesake, our music is full of joy and laughter. We want our audience to feel relaxed and refreshed after listening to our music and watching our performances. Q: What are the characteristics of your performances? A: We sing without using any musical instruments. Instead, we use our voices to create sound effects. We sometimes imitate the noises of animals and motor engines. We also add new elements to classical music. For example, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is a popular melody which expresses serious and strong feelings. In a recent concert, we introduced this song by telling our audience that Beethoven composed the song for us. We sang "la-la-la" to start the melody and added lyrics of "Gay Singers" after the strongest part. That is the way we create our own music style. Q: What motivates you to sing? A: Music itself is fascinating. If you love music, you will also know how to love the world and the people around you. It is the music itself which gives us passion to sing. In addition, friendship and happiness are certainly the major drives. We feel happy and excited when we sing together. Our rehearsals are like gatherings of old friends. Supportive families and friends help us a lot. Chung Ming's mother often prepares delicious Chinese soup for us. Our friends also give us suggestions after attending our performances. Their opinions motivate us to make improvements. Positive feedback from our audience is encouraging. Their support keeps us motivated to perform. Q: How do you choose your songs for performances? A: Actually we sing a wide range of songs, such as Cantonese pop songs from the '50s and '60s, children's folk songs and classical music. We never stick to one type of music only. We don't have fixed roles in our group. All of us are free to express our opinions and ideas. This helps us to come up with some unexpected yet creative ideas. Sometimes our inspirations come from our silly jokes. Q: What changes have The Gay Singers experienced within the past eight years? A: Changes are inevitable. When we were students, we always had enough time to discuss our ideas before practicing. However, we all have full-time jobs now, so finding time to meet is not easy. Sometimes we only have two days to practice a new song. We used to be more self-centered when we were students. We rejected performing opportunities without thinking twice and we easily gave up some songs when we faced difficulties. After we signed a contract with a record company and gained some publicity, however, we needed to think comprehensively before making decisions. The company has invested time and money in us. We are not only performing for our own sake now, but we are also performing for our company. Therefore, we need to be responsible. Q: Have you ever made any mistakes in your shows? A: Actually, we make mistakes very often. Because a cappella requires a good quality of voice expression, it is difficult for us to maintain a perfect standard all the time. Once, during a performance, Yue Hang and So Ton forgot their parts which resulted in silence during the middle part of a song. Another time, Yu Suet mixed up the sound effects of different animals. Nevertheless, we never dwell on our mistakes. Every mistake becomes a joke in the future. We are so glad to have some things to laugh at each other. Everybody makes mistakes. Imperfections can be entertaining for the audience. Q: How would you comment on the music industry in Hong Kong? A: Many people think that the local music industry is dominated by pop music only. We do not agree with this. There are musicians in Hong Kong who perform different kinds of music. Unfortunately, Listening to pop music is a trend and people are reluctant to change their taste. Q: What would you say to young music lovers? A: We believe music lovers cherish music from the bottom of their hearts. Young people should try to expose themselves to different kinds of music before indulging in any specific genre, or they will miss the chance to appreciate better things. For students of music, remember that learning music requires time and efforts before you can reach success.