2018木樓合唱團樂季

Müller Chamber Choir

Retrospect & Prospect

2018

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Meng-Hsien Peng

Meng-Hsien Peng is one of the executive directors of Taiwan Choral Association, an INTERKULTUR jury member for international choral competition, artistic advisor to Fujian Association of Art and Education, artistic director and conductor of Müller Chamber Choir and NTU EMBA Chorus, president and artistic director of Rong Shing Children's Chorus, conductor of Rong Shing Women’s Chorus, and conductor of The Voice of Great Love Chorus.

In recent years her international engagements have called for extensive trips to choral events all over the world. She received invitation from INTERKULTUR to serve on the jury panel of the 5th Canta al mar 2016 - Festival Coral Internacional in Barcelona, Spain in Fall 2016, and of the Grand Prix of Nations & 3rd European Choir Games Riga 2017, a choral festivity attended by thousands of singers and a total of 161 choirs.

Under her leadership, Müller Chamber Choir participated in the 9th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition in 2015 and the 9th World Choir Games 2016: Champions Competition, winning gold medals in various categories with record high scores. In world rankings released by INTERKULTUR as of November 2017, Müller Chamber Choir tops the Chamber Choirs & Vocal Ensembles category.

In July 2017, she was guest lecturer in the

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1st Cross-strait Choral Seminar held in Fuzhou, China, and conducted Müller Chamber Choir as feature choir of Singapore International Choral Festival: SICF 2017. In September, she gave a talk on “Achieving an appealing choral blend” at the invitation of Taichung Artist Chamber Choir; in October, she was engaged by Hunan Musician Association – Choral Committee to participate in the 4th International Choral Arts Workshop as lecturer in Hunan, China. In July 2018, Peng will sit on the jury panel of the 1st Taipei International Choral Competition (TICC) organized by Taipei Philharmonic Foundation. Dedicated to promoting the art of choral music, she is the recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award (2012) and Arts Contribution Award (2016) presented by the Ministry of Education in appreciation of her extraordinary e orts in music education. Peng was awarded conductor prize in the choral competition of the 2011 Taiwan International Contemporary A Cappella Festival.

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Müller Chamber Choir

Founded in 1999, Müller Chamber Choir is a male-voice choir from Taiwan that aims to introduce the finest blend of male choral sound to the choral scene. This 30-strong male choir aspires to the celebrated male choral tradition and delights in exploring its infinite artistic depth. Under the leadership of Meng-Shien Peng as conductor and artistic director since 2013, the choir has achieved prestige as one of country’s foremost choral groups.

Throughout its seventeen years of existence, The Müller Chamber Choir has made remarkable progress under the direction of acclaimed conductors. In 2007, led by maestro Julian Ching-Chun Su, the choir participated in The 23rd Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest in Japan and won a gold medal in the Folklore category and a silver medal in the Romantic category, placing second in the overall ranking. In 2012, conducted by Chia-Fen Weng, the choir received invitation to embark on a concert tour to Johor Bahru in Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangkok, Thailand.

Under the leadership of Meng-Shien Peng, The Müller Chamber Choir participated in The 9th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition in July 2015. The choir was named category winner in Folk, Sacred and Male Choir categories and went on to win the Grand Prix. In the 9th World Choir Games 2016:

Champions Competition, the choir received Gold medals in Male Chamber Choirs, Musica Sacra a cappella and Musica Contemporanea categories. On top of that, the Taiwanese male choir was declared Champion of the Male Chamber Choirs category with a record high score. World rankings released by INTERKULTUR in August 2016 further testified to the choir’s extraordinary standing–the Müller Chamber Choir now ranks #2 in the top 1000 choirs and tops the Chamber Choirs & Vocal Ensembles category. The choir’s selection of repertoire stood out as richly varied and sophisticated, garnering high praise from the panel of judges with respect to the choir’s musical interpretation and mastery of artistry.

Constantly exploring the acoustic possibilities of the choral arts with all its versatility, The Müller Chamber Choir has performed a wide range of choral works. Since 2011, it has taken upon itself the mission to create a repertoire that is distinctively Taiwanese, and has come to garner strong support for its cause. Through commissioning talented native composers and critically-acclaimed authors and poets to collaborate on various projects, the choir invites the audience to travel to lesser-known spots across the island and to appreciate the rich cultural traditions that are invariably part of our identity. The coming together of literature and choral music is, for the choir, the fount of creativity that is sure to bring about the kind of music that touches the hearts of people.

The Müller Chamber Choir took its rather plain name from a frail wooden building–that timeworn, now-demolished structure that was home to the music classroom where the founders of the choir first discovered the joy–and their love–of choral music. It bears witness to and serves as a reminder of our humble beginnings. It is where the paths converged for those who are thrilled by choral music, the spiritual and mutual support that we find comfort in, and the forward drive that propels us towards larger goals.

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