NYU Shanghai Chamber Singers: Moving Past the Spring Lockdown

Towards the end of Shanghai’s spring lockdown, videos featuring  “这世界那么多人” (translation: so many people in this world)-- a hit song by Hong Kong pop singer Karen Mok made popular by the Chinese movie “Love Will Tear Us Apart”-- began going viral on social media, its lyrics resonating with many in the NYU Shanghai community.

Inspired, the university’s a cappella group, the Chamber Singers, decided to work creatively within their lockdown limitations on a collaborative version of the song, recorded from the corners of their apartments and residence hall rooms.

“In many ways [the song] became an anthem for people to express their emotions from the challenges they faced to something positive,” said NYU Shanghai Dean of Students David Pe. 

The voluntary summer project, led by Clinical Assistant Professor of Arts Katherine Girvin, who directs NYU Shanghai’s choral programs, encouraged students to keep up their vocal practice while connecting with each other as they looked forward to reuniting. The students were eager to create something new together, even if it entailed working virtually as final exams neared. 

In just two weeks at the start of May, the Chamber Singers received a personalized a cappella arrangement for the song from California-based arranger Ross Hansen who has worked on numerous arrangements for the group including their cover of Jay Chou’s “Mojito,”and songs from popular tv series Game of Thrones and Marvel’s The Avengers. Hansen also served as the audio engineer for the Chamber Singers’ version of "这世界有那么多人”, combining their individually-recorded tracks together for the final song.

^{Lyrics in Chinese and the first page of the score arranged by Ross Hansen}

“They had one week to learn it and one week to record and send it in–that’s how professional they've become,” said Girvin. “They can get a new arrangement of a song they've never learned before, learn it in their dorm room, and record it in their closets–it’s exceptional!”

“Because of the pandemic and lockdown situation, we started to take online lessons only, and that's when I began to truly feel the song,” said Anna Xie Jingxuan ’24, a business and marketing major from Changchun, Jilin Province. “Its sincere emotions touched my heart [and] reminded me of happy days with my friends and family face to face.”

The learning process pushed students out of their comfort zones. Xie, a soloist on the song, recalls hiding in her small closet, surrounding herself by heavy clothes to soundproof the space, and recording her part over and over again–certain that the voice of a friend practicing in the next room would be caught on her track. “The friendships I’ve made through this special time, the unique online practice experience that made us laugh and cry…these are all worthwhile,” she said. “It taught me that good results really require hard work and that meanwhile, the process is what is left for all of us, and it’s what will shine brightly forever in our memories.”

“The song told me that I was not alone, especially as we faced all these pressures during a time period with nobody around us,” said Mark Ma Kunyi ’24, an honors math and data science major from Shanghai. “I feel like the chorale itself conveys strength and unity that melts loneliness, and I hope when audiences hear this song they know there’s always someone out there that they can reach.”

“I learned to manage my time better and overcome my embarrassment of recording while my roommate was also in the room,” said Amber Kong ’24, a data science major from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. “This project brought a lot of fun to my quarantine period…[and] this semester, I’m looking forward to working with Katherine and other friends in the group to learn and perform more beautiful songs.”

Watch the NYU Shanghai Chamber Singers’ music video for  “这世界那么多人”.