History

According to Prof. Zheng De An.

When Tunghai university was founded in 1955, we held worship services and gatherings every Wednesday and Sunday, so a choir was needed. By the time Mr. Zheng De An started recruiting for the choir, Taiwan Boulevard (Zhong Gang Rd.) was under construction, and it was very inconvenient for the students to leave campus or go down into the city. So many students joined the choir. We had about 20 people, and they sang on stage every Wednesday and Sunday. The choir didn’t have any dedicated budget or bank account, and any expenses incurred were paid by the Chaplain’s Office or the Church. Mr. Zheng De An served as the first choir director.

In 1959, four years after the school was founded, members of the first graduating class requested a performance tour as a trip to take before they graduate. Mr. Zheng thought the choir needed more practice before they could go out and perform, so we started training during the winter break. That led to the tradition of an annual winter camp. Students responded with fervor, and four students, including Liu Yi Chong, even went to see the president of the university, Mr. Wu Teh Yao, for support and funding.

For many decades, every year we had a winter camp, and then during the spring went out on performance tours. The first two years after the choir started, we sang only religious songs, but then starting the third year, we began singing a wide variety of music including non-religious songs. Gradually, in Tunghai university, there were two singing groups, and Luce Choir was no longer called “the choir.”

Every week we practiced at Míng Xian Tang, and every Christmas we held candlelight concerts where we sang Handel's “Messiah” at the Luce Chapel. We also worked with soloists such as the wife of Wu Teh Yao, the wife of Zheng De An, Mr. Qin Liang Zhou, and Mrs. Rice. Of course the church still needed a choir, so the church choir sang only for Sunday worship service and only religious songs, and that’s how we differentiated the two choir groups.

Once the name Luce Choir (then called Tunghai Sacred Mus Choir) was official, we became more famous. The magazine Voice of America wanted to do an interview with us, and at the time all different churches wanted to sponsor us. Even music majors from the prestigious Taipei National University of the Arts came to our concerts.

One of the Luce Choir’s greatest accomplishment was in 1967, we received invitation to sing at the New York Lincoln Center for an international choral festival.

The judges had sent people to our concerts and concluded that the Luce Choir was able to handle songs with variety and depth, the sound was natural and harmonious, and our female members were plain and not gaudy. They were willing to pay for us all 60 members one month of expenses. It was a great honor and recognition of our ability, and we were all very excited. Unfortunately, at the time the government did not permit male students to leave the country without finishing their mandatory military service, so this trip did not take place, but it was still a great honor.

Succeeding Mr. Zheng De An (and during the time he was abroad), Mr. Qin Liang Zhou, Ms. Rose, Mrs. Rice, Mr. Zimmerman, Prof. Mai all have served faithfully as directors of Luce Choir.

Luce Choir has also been blessed with great accompanists including Mrs. Donald Macinnis, Mrs. Junkin (who was the wife of the Chaplain), Tunghai student Shen Man Li, Liang Xu Hua, teacher Liu Nian Long, and teachers from the U.S. Ms. Wendy Carter and Mrs. Patton. Later we hired Ms. Zhang Huan and Ms. Xu Bei Jun as full-time accompanists. 

 

Mission

The Luce Choir is more than just a choir, but a close knit family. Pastor David and his wife Lisa regularly invite Luce Choir members to their home. They serve as a constant source of spiritual guidance and encouragement to the students.

University students do not have to major in music to make music! Luce Choir believes with professional leadership, spiritual mentorship, and the bonds of friendship, the students can achieve great things. The Luce philosophy is summed up by the words of the great choral conductor Robert Shaw:“Music is too important to be left to the professionals.”

        Luce Choir was now closed and no longer accept new application on May, 2024.