On Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 7 p.m., Juice House’s Singing Blend and UToledo’s University Chorus and Chamber Singers united for a combined concert entitled “Crossing the Pacific,” a collaborative, multicultural musical performance featuring songs from various Asian countries. The evening was a moving experience blending voices, cultures and communities.
According to Dr. Micah Bland, director of Choral Activities at the university and the primary conductor of the night, these collaborations bring something special to the campus community.
“I’ve always loved doing collaborations with other groups. We’ve done some every year with at least the University of Toledo choirs. And so, we are very pleased to do [a] collaboration with Juice House and an honor to have them join us. It’s enjoyable to bring other different groups together that maybe don’t always perform together, or rarely perform together, and also then there are various audiences who maybe don’t get to hear the other groups. So it’s always a joy to bring those groups together,” Bland said.
The repertoire of the evening not only highlighted musical diversity across the Pacific, but also offered the singers themselves a chance to explore different cultures through singing in these foreign languages.
“I think it’s very good for … students … to know other countries and different cultures. I think it’s very educational. So, when we sing their language, actually, we get into their person, their culture more. So, I think it’s very enjoyable,” Rebekah Chang, conductor of the Juice House Singing Blend, said.
Music serves as a powerful tool for cultural exchange. In a world where differences can divide, this concert sought to bring people together through the universal language of song and coalesce these campus singing groups.
The University Chorus opened the night performing two pieces: “Cina” a Taiwanese song by Yen Hesiang Neih and “Horane” by Ko Matsushita of Japan. Next, the Chamber Singers took the stage, performing more vocally stylistic pieces: “TaReKiTa” a song originating from India by Reena Esmail, “Champa Batterambang” a Cambodian song arranged by Darita Seth, “Ang Alibangbang” by Saunder Choi of the Philippines and “O Lux Beata Trinitas” a Japanese song by Ko Matsushita.
The night continued with Juice House’s Singing Blend as the third group to perform. Known for its energy and tight-knit community, the group displayed an essence of friendship, well-being and passion. Their song selection featured three heartfelt songs from Taiwan: “Ji” by Su Lai, “Clouds of My Homeland” by Tan Jianchang and “If Tomorrow is the Next Life” by Shi Qingru.
According to Chang, music plays an important role in bringing people together across differences.
“I really believe that through singing we can impact people. A lot of times we have language barriers, we have nationalities, races, [all kinds of] differences, but music is beyond all those. So, [it] can be transcendent,” Chang said. “…words can be easily forgotten, but music, once it sticks to your mind, you’re going to hum it and then gradually we get used to [it] or we get into the culture through the music … So, I believe music can play a very crucial role.”
“Jay” Wei Keat Liaw, pianist for Juice House’s Singing Blend, felt similarly.
“Music can touch people in many different ways … music has played a big role in my life, it’s been [with] me through the hard times, all the good times, the bad times; I’ve always had music to rely on,” he said. “[T]here is no better joy than to sing with a group of people.”
For Liaw and for many of the students in Singing Blend, Juice House has become a community where they have found friendship, mentorship and a new perspective on their college life.
“Coming to Juice House, they’ve been my family since I was a freshman. I discovered Singing Blend shortly after I … was enrolled to UT, and they clearly became my second family here on campus.” Liaw said.
The concert was also a reminder of the need for creative outlets in students’ lives. Many who joined did so not just for the opportunity to perform, but for personal well-being that comes from being creative and expressive — the perfect balance to a heavy academic load.
“I think students often need an outlet from their engineering, or they’re in the sciences, the medical field, and that can be mentally fatiguing and tiring. And so, taking that opportunity to have a mental break and do something they enjoy often. Well, they all join because they enjoy it. And so, that is an outlet for them, but also provides some entertainment and some joy to the campus as well,” Bland said.
For Griffin DeSantis, one of the members of Chamber Singers, he views singing as a personal and grounding experience.
“Regardless of where I am or where I’m going, I’m constantly singing or humming in my head. Even if I’m in a conversation with someone … It’s always somewhere in the background, I would say, grounding me. But, also bringing me joy and keeping me steady in anxious or confusing times,” he said.
“…that’s why it’s always important to have a healthy social ecology, have a group, a good community to be around,” Liaw said.
To close the evening, all three choral groups came together in a powerful joint performance of “Arirang” by Hyo-Won Woo, a Korean folk song. This final piece was a moment of unity, with voices blending together from all backgrounds and corners of campus.
Seeing so many voices in harmony left a lasting impression on both the audience and the performers.“Singing with other groups, I think it’s really nice, especially … when you’re able to see other groups, it helps you reflect on the different stages of learning music and how everyone brings their own emotion and story to it. So, it’s really nice hearing other voices in that way.” DeSantis said.
To listen to the songs Juice House’s Singing Blend performed for “Crossing the Pacific,” please click here.