Alumni Choir

SPCCAA BC Chapter Alumni Choir at S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Simon K.Y. Lee Seniors Care Home

Continuing our passion in music and keeping the musical spirit of the St. Paul’s Co-educational College of Hong Kong, two alumni in British Columbia, Jean Ts’o 曹寶珍 (1971) and Dr. Henry Wong 王永和博士 (1975) established the SPCCAA–BC Chapter Choir in the summer of 1999. Since inception, our membership has steadily grown to a total of 25+, with a good balance of the four vocal parts.

Our mixed choir consists of alumni from different classes and generations, spanning 43 years from 1964 to 2007, as well as immediate family members of the alumni. Over the past twelve years, our choir has been ably led by three conductors: Miss Maria Chan 陳晶瑩老師 (1967), who used to be the music teacher in the SPCC Primary School; Mr. Geoffrey Ko 高惠充老師 (1969), our beloved SPCC Music Director, and Dr. Henry Wong 王永和博士, a very talented and versatile musician. Currently, monthly rehearsals are held every 3rd Sunday of each month at the Good Shepherd Chinese Anglican Church in Vancouver, under Henry’s direction and accompanied by the esteemed pianist, Rita Kwan [Wife of Dr. Raymond Kwan 關兆康醫生 (1973)]. Since 1999, we have sung over 100 songs. Our repertoire covers a wide range of music including Classical, Christian, Modern Contemporaries, Chinese traditional and contemporary songs as well as Broadway music. Our passion for music and the spirit of St. Paul’s have brought us together, but it is the friendship and fellowship that have bonded us and kept us going.

Throughout all these years, our choir has performed at numerous events. Most notably, our alumni choir played a key role in the 2001 World Wide Grand Reunion, hosted by the SPCCAA-BC Chapter. At the Fun Night of the Grand Reunion, we performed with the Ontario Chapter Alumni Choir and many other alumni who came from different parts of the world. Together, we sang many good old songs from our high school days. At the end of the Grand Reunion Gala Evening, Principal Poon 潘鎮球校長, who came all the way from Hong Kong, led us through a wonderful rendition of "Shalom". The World Wide Reunion had provided us a great opportunity to rekindle and reinforce a lot of friendships, an experience that we shall forever treasure.

Besides performing at Alumni events such as the AGMs (Annual General Meetings), our choir has also performed at other functions such as the Hong Kong University Alumni Association Christmas celebration and the Fundraising Concert for the Anglican Relief and Development Fund. Further, our choir regularly entertains at the community level, notably in senior residences such as the Crofton Manor Retirement Residence, Finnish Manor, Eagle Ridge Hospital and Health Care Centre and Villa Cathay Care Home in Chinatown.

The alumni of British Columbia also actively participate in a variety of concerts. For example, three choir members were invited to perform as back-up singers at the Charity Concert with Frances Yip 葉麗儀 and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2004. In 2005, nine alumni sang at the 90th Anniversary Celebration Concert of St. Paul’s Co-educational College in Hong Kong. Last November (2010), four alumni from British Columbia returned to Hong Kong to participate in the HK SPCC Alumni Choir‘s 30th Anniversary Concert.

The SPCCAA-BC Choir welcomes any St. Paul’s Co-educational College Alumni who love to sing. If you would like to join us to sing and to continue the tradition of musical excellence of our alma mater, please contact Jean Ts’o or Henry Wong via the Contact Us page.