LACOV Christmas Showcase brings joy to the world
Left to right starting eighth from left: Professor Leung Bo-wah; Dr Steve Ho Sung-chi, Music Director of LACOV; Dr Sunnie Heyang; and Dr Koji Matsunobu (fifth from right), all from CCA.
Mixing console at the backstage.
Vanessa Man Tsz-hei (left) leads LACOV’s vocalists to perform a Christmas carol.
Audiences on campus at EdUHK were delighted to hear the beautiful voices of acapella singers on 14 December, a seasonal performance presented by LACOV. The Christmas Showcase 2021 was the first time in two years that EdUHK’s vocal jazz ensemble had performed publicly. The performance took place at an area between B1 and B2, along the main pedestrian walk of the campus.
It is LACOV’s tradition to spread the joy of Christmas through music. Since early 2020, however, the acapella ensemble was forced to suspend all public performances due to the pandemic. During their 1.5-hour performance on 14 December, vocalists of the ensemble expressed great excitement at being able to share music with audiences on-site again. Their performance that day mostly comprised of Christmas classics like Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells, alongside several jazz pieces.
Dr Steve Ho Sung-chi, Assistant Professor of the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA) and LACOV’s Music Director, was happy with the wonderful performance of the ensemble. He said: “It is impossible to have Christmas without music. Music improves people's quality of life. It brings joy to each and every one of us.”
Vanessa Man Tsz-hei, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Music in Education (Honours) and President of LACOV, said: “We have been waiting for this opportunity for some time. LACOV is so eager to enjoy sharing music with the public. We practised vigorously before today’s performance, and the blend of all of our members’ voices at today’s show was simply perfect.”
It is Vanessa’s third year since she has joined LACOV. She learnt of the ensemble when she participated in the annual summer camp organised by CCA for secondary students who are interested in studying music or visual arts at EdUHK. “I love singing acapella and decided to join LACOV when I entered EdUHK,” she said. Vanessa believes music is a common language shared by people across different cultures and languages: “People know Christmas has arrived when carols are sung.”
In a normal year not affected by the pandemic, LACOV receives many external invitations for public performances. Dr Ho said: “The ensemble is in form for the Christmas performance, an event that represents the beginning of a series of public activities for the ensemble. The annual performance held every June marks the highlight of the year’s activities. Usually, the ensemble performs 20 songs during the annual highlight.”
LACOV was established in 2010 by CCA. It has performed in multiple venues and events including school campuses, cathedrals and wedding banquets. Aside from jazz classics and local pop songs arranged by the ensemble, the group also demonstrates the art of singing without instruments through various workshops. LACOV is devoted to promoting jazz music to local primary and secondary schools, and bringing different experiences of jazz music to audience. Students and alumni from all programmes, who are passionate about jazz music and have high musicianship, are welcome to join. People want to know more about LACOV can write an email to lacov@eduhk.hk.
Members of the public can view the whole Christmas Showcase performance at: https://www.facebook.com/LacovEdUHK/videos/1097778821053722
