In December 2023, the Eleventh International Online JSFest 2023 Composition Competition concluded. SCIE school anthem “We Are All Together” (Symphonic Chorus Version), composed by SCIE alumni Benny Zhang (Class of 2018) and Arthur Zhao (Class of 2020), and arranged by Ms Chen Tingting, won the First Degree in the Composition Competition (Category arrangement – Professionals) .
JSFest Competition
The JSFest Composition Competition is part of JSFest music festival. Every year in November they welcome the participants from all over the world for the International Competition, dedicated to Jean Sibelius. As an internationally recognized professional composition competition, its jury consists of well-known international composers. The judges meticulously review the scores, providing detailed assessments of harmony, counterpoint, form, and instrumentation, seeking highlights in musical content and sonic creativity.
The school anthem “We Are All Together,” originally composed by Benny and Arthur, is in a pop style, full of vitality, and catchy. MS Chen Tingting, in her arrangement of the original and the chamber choir version of the school anthem, added layers to the instrumental sections, expanding the accompaniment into a symphonic orchestra version, creating a rich and dimensional sound. This was aimed at giving the lively melody a more compelling emotional drive.
In terms of melodic characteristics, Benny and Arthur employed dynamic rhythms such as syncopated and triplet rhythm, embodying a spirited youthful atmosphere. Through repeated discussions, exploration, and revisions with Molly (head of SCIE Music Department), I emphasized and magnified these musical features in the symphonic choral arrangement. Additionally, I thickened the choral sections in the chorus, enhancing the richness and depth of the sonic colors to ensure that the school anthem's melody resonates deeply with the audience.
Reflections on Creation
Upon hearing the melody of the SCIE anthem for the first time, I was immediately drawn to its rhythmic and distinctive musical language, and couldn't help but admire the creative talent of the students. When arranging two versions of the anthem, I kept pondering: How can I enrich the characteristic vocabulary of the melody to make it more expressive? As a composer, we always hope for more possibilities in creation, such as innovative performance techniques, creative timbre combinations, and diverse interpretations. Therefore, I repeatedly listened to the original anthem melody and analyzed the musical score, extracting what I considered to be unique musical motives, breaking them down, recombining them, and then creating variations and developments, giving the anthem new meaning in the symphonic choral version. It was a very rewarding creative experience, and I am grateful to have encountered SCIE. I hope that this honor will serve as a gift for the 20th anniversary of SCIE's founding, wishing it a long and prosperous future.
