4ever Discovering
A Night Out at the National Concert Hall
Pick Out Your Fancy Dress, and Sit Back and Enjoy the Show
After a not-so-festive Christmas season here in Taiwan, our company decided to treat all of the ESL teachers for a night out to the National Concert Hall. Our boss bought us all tickets to watch the show on Boxing Day, so we figured the performance would be Christmas-related. I wasn’t expecting the Nutcracker or anything, but I thought there might be some Christmas songs. I couldn’t think of anything better to do on December 26 (there isn’t any boxing day sales), so I put on my dress, and headed to the Concert Hall after school.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: we’re going and we don’t even know what we’re going to watch?? I signed up to go, not entirely sure what to expect. When Emily and I got our tickets, we saw that we were going to be watching the Men’s Choir perform their show, “Noel”. It sounded like it could be a really interesting show, or could take a turn for the worst and make me doze off a little.
The National Concert Hall is located in Liberty Square, right near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Emily and I had seen this building before when we came for the day, and always thought it was a fancy night out. When we walked through the doors, we were immediately greeted with chandeliers and amazing decor. There were two giant staircases to lead you upstairs if your seats were on the second floor. I felt like I was in a fairy tale with the grand stairs, lights, and red carpet everywhere. Talk about my Cinderella moment!
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When we found our seats, we were pleasantly surprised to find we were sitting in the third row! We had a spectacular view of the performance; however, this meant I couldn’t fall asleep without being seen by the performers (I made sure to be on my best behaviour). The show started very formally; the conductor came on the stage first, followed by the pianist, and then the singers. There were about 40 men in this choir, and I was absolutely speechless when they started singing. They started off acapella; all I kept thinking about was how they were a live version of Pitch Perfect! From the beginning till the end, this choir had my full attention!
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Throughout the performance, the choir sang everything from English, to German, to French, to Latin, to African Tribal music. I couldn’t believe the variety of languages and professionalism of the show. The second half was more English Christmas Carols, so naturally, I enjoyed that part the most. As much as I loved to hear the other songs, it is always more fun when you are able to sing along with the ones you know. The choir sang classics like Winter Wonderland (my favourite song), Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and I’ll be Home for Christmas. I have to admit, when they sang that last one, I was a little teary-eyed. With only the piano in the background, the song touched me knowing that I would not be home for Christmas. Any performance that makes you a little emotional is always worth the money (or in this case, the boss’ money).
I thought one of the best parts of the performance was when the violinists came on stage. That’s not one instrument I hear every day, so I thought it was breath-taking to hear it played in harmony with the pianos and vocals. For the end of the show, everyone played one, big medley of about five different Christmas carols, mixed with the piano and violins. They even asked everyone to take out our cell phones (which wasn’t allowed earlier), and put on our flashlights to make it look like a rock concert. When I turned around to see everyone with their lights, it looked like a starry, Christmas night. That was one of my most favourite moments of the night. To end the show in such a spectacular way, with the medley and the lights, was incredible. It really made me think about the power of music, and how it can make you feel so many different emotions at once.
After an emotional weekend being away from our families, watching such an amazing performance at the National Concert Hall made us feel a little more at home. The first time I saw this building, I never thought I would see the inside of it. Working for such a generous company who does everything in their power to make us feel welcomed, reminds us we are in good hands. This show made me think of all of the Christmas carols I sing with my family on Christmas Day, and how much I appreciate the little things around the holiday season. I felt like I was sitting with my mom at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, watching an amazing show at Christmas. I am thankful I had the opportunity to watch a performance at such a grand theatre, and be able to enjoy the holidays with my new and old friends.