北加州台大校友合唱團成立的緣起可以上溯自2003年12月台大合唱團四十週年團慶。來自海內外前後四十屆,及其前身「純誼」、「友愛」時代的老團友在台北共聚一堂。席間,眾團友倡議籌組「台大合唱團校友團」,旋即改名為「台大校友合唱團」。在台北的「台大校友合唱團」成立後,即計畫前來美西演唱,並籲請在加州的台大合唱團團友協助規劃,且同台演出。為了呼應此一計畫,2005年初在金山灣區的台大合唱團團友就成立了「北加州台大校友合唱團」,網羅不少台大校友唱將,與台北團共同推動在灣區聯合演出的計畫,並負責實際執行。經過數月的努力,終於促成台北、北加、南加三地校友合唱團「2005美西行吟」的完美演出。
北加州台大校友合唱團成員包括台大校友及親屬。除了定期舉辦公演,也積極參與社區活動。 2008年本團參與史丹佛大學泛亞音樂節、以及中國文化部主辦之中國國際青年藝術週活動,與其他合唱團組成聯隊,在帕洛奧圖、上海與北京演出《布蘭詩歌》與《貝多芬合唱交響曲》。 2008年11月,北加州台大校友合唱團與硅谷愛樂合唱團舉行聯合公演。這是北加州校友團的第一次正式公演。 2009年10月,校友團首度單獨公演。 2010年7月,由北加州校友團主導,聯合台大校友合唱團台北團、華府團、南加團組成聯隊,協同硅谷愛樂合唱團赴北京參加第三屆中國國際青年藝術週『名校之夜』的演出。在北京中央音樂學院音樂廳演出清唱劇《路》。
2010年10月,北加校友團在美首演英文清唱劇《紅樓夢》。 2011年9月,演出以多媒體及合唱結合的「跨樂一百」,回顧民國百年的合唱音樂。 2012年9月,以「生命禮讚」為主題舉行公演。2013年7月,北加團赴台北參與台大合唱團成立50周年慶典活動。同年9月,在美首演中文清唱劇《永州八記》。 2014至2019年的年度公演各以「風雅頌」、「楊柳依依」、「小天地、大世界」、「和聲,在雅俗之間」、「千里陽關」和「情到深處」為題演出。
由於全球疫情蔓延,在沉寂三年之後,於2022年9月台大校友合唱團在公園綠蔭環繞下,以「悠悠我思」為主題,首度嘗試了一次與大自然融合的戶外演出。
藉著不斷接受新的挑戰,這一群愛樂如癡的台大歌人和家属親朋的大團隊,希望以他們對合唱的熱忱,將合唱之美呈現給知音樂友們。
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National Taiwan University Alumni Chorus in Northern California
The establishment of the Northern California National Taiwan University Alumni Chorus can be traced back to the 40th-anniversary celebration of the National Taiwan University Chorus (NTUC) in December 2003. Alumni from the past 40 years, including those from the eras of “Chun-Yi” and “You-Ai,” gathered in Taipei. During the event, the participants proposed to establish the “The Alumni Chorus of National Taiwan University Chorus ,” which was later renamed the “National Taiwan University Alumni Chorus (NTUAC).” After the establishment of the chorus in Taipei, a plan was made for the chorus to come to the western United States to perform and invited NTUC alumni in California to join the performance and to ask for assistance from NTUC alumni in California to organize the concert. Per this plan, the “Northern California National Taiwan University Alumni Chorus” was founded in early 2005 in the San Francisco, bringing together many National Taiwan University alumni singers. They collaborated with the Taipei group to execute the joint performance project in the Bay Area, resulting in the successful “2005 West Coast Choral Tour” involving alumni choruses from Taipei, Northern California, and Southern California.
The members of the Northern-California NTUAC include National Taiwan University alumni and their relatives. Apart from regular performances, they actively participate in community activities. In 2008, the chorus took part in the Stanford University Pan-Asian Music Festival and the China International Youth Arts Week organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, performing “Carmina Burana” and Beethoven’s Choral Symphony in Palo Alto, Shanghai, and Beijing. In November 2008, the Northern-California NTUAC held a joint concert with the Silicon Valley Philharmonic Chorus, marking their first formal public performance. In October 2009, the alumni chorus had its first solo performance. In July 2010, led by the Northern California alumni group, a joint performance with alumni choruses from Taipei, Washington D.C., and Southern California was organized, along with the Silicon Valley Philharmonic Chorus, to participate in the 3rd China International Youth Arts Week’s “Night of Prestigious Schools” in Beijing. They performed the a cappella play “The Road” at the Central Conservatory of Music Concert Hall in Beijing.
In October 2010, Northern-California NTUAC debuted the Enlish a cappella play “Dream of the Red Chamber.” In September 2011, they presented “Crossing a Century,” a performance combining multimedia and choral music, reflecting a hundred years of choral music in the Republic of China. In September 2012, they held a performance with the theme “Praise of Life.” In July 2013, the Northern-California NTUAC went to Taipei to participate in the 50th-anniversary celebration of the National Taiwan University Chorus. In the same year, in September, they performed the Chinese a cappella play “Eight Records of Yongzhou” for the first time in the United States. The annual performances from 2014 to 2019 were themed “Elegance and Praise,” “Willows in the Breeze,” “Small World, Big Universe,” “Harmony, refined and vulgar,” “A Long Journey away from Yangguan,” and “When Feelings Are Deep.”
Due to the global pandemic, after three years of silence, in September 2022, the NTUAC performed outdoors for the first time, with the theme “Contemplative Thoughts,” surrounded by the greenery of a park.
Continuously embracing new challenges, this group of music-loving individuals from National Taiwan University, including their family members and friends, as a large team, hopes to present the beauty of choral singing to fellow music enthusiasts with their passionate singing.