“What place in the heart holds a memory that never fades…”
As the Irvine Chinese Chorus and Feiyang began Moonlight in the City, its familiar melody drifted through the August sun, carrying thoughts and blessings ahead of ICC and Feiyang’s upcoming Taiwan tour.
Near noon on August 22, the Irvine Chinese School amphitheater sweltered, but spirits stayed high.
Some brought fans; others waved their programs as four choirs sang to waves of applause.
Summer Voices, Healing Harmonies
Led by Music Director Sam Sun, Summer Journey Concert served as a warm-up for ICC and Feiyang’s upcoming Taiwan tour, while also featuring the Orange County Women’s Choir and the Southern California Chinese Physicians Choir.
Four ensembles, four distinct sounds—one richly layered celebration of choral music.
The Orange County Women’s Choir opened with Caro Mio Ben, followed by Our Echo, Boundless Sea and Sky, The Love Tree, and May a Rainbow Run Beside You.
Their voices moved from soft and luminous to bright and expansive, with harmonies as refreshing as a breeze through the summer heat.
Warm applause followed each song.
The Southern California Chinese Physicians Choir shifted the mood from the quiet beauty of In the Stillness of Winter to the tenderness of Hand in Hand and the graceful Eastern lyricism of Chrysanthemum Terrace.
Away from their clinics, the physicians listened and blended just as carefully in song, earning enthusiastic applause.
Sam Sun drew laughter when he noted that the choir includes doctors from many specialties.
“I feel very fortunate,” he joked, adding that audience members could even connect with the physicians after the concert if needed.
The crowd burst into laughter, bringing a welcome touch of humor to the hot outdoor stage.
Voices Set Sail, Songs Fly Far
ICC and Feiyang then took the stage to preview their Taiwan tour. At full strength, the two choirs number nearly 200 singers, creating a powerful, full-bodied sound.
Fisherman’s Song opened into a broad, windswept spirit; Lucky Clover offered a bright note of blessing; and Departure captured the anticipation of a journey about to begin.
Look at the World expanded in sweeping harmonies, as if carrying the music beyond the stage, while Legend flowed with tenderness.
In Moonlight in the City, familiar melodies settled into a warm, lingering sense of memory and longing.
As the voices rose and layered together, the sun-baked outdoor stage seemed to transform into an open-air concert hall.
From gentle reflection to soaring crescendos, each song drew another wave of applause—and another heartfelt send-off for Taiwan.
Listen Together, Sing as One
Sun thanked the audience for braving the heat and praised the singers for giving their all under demanding conditions.
He said the goal of this preview was not perfection in every note, but the chance to strengthen the ensemble before the tour and let the audience experience each choir’s unique musical character.
He stressed that the heart of choral music lies not simply in “singing,” but in singing together.
Every singer has an individual voice, he said, but only through listening and responding to one another can those voices become something fuller and more powerful.
In that shared sound, individual dreams also begin to connect.
Voices Travel, Warmth Lingers
The concert closed with Why We Sing, a fitting finale about hope, connection, and the meaning of singing together.
The sun was still blazing. Fans were still moving. Many programs had curled at the edges from being used as makeshift fans.
Yet when the final note faded, what lingered was no longer the August heat.
From the clear grace of the women’s choir and the warmth of the physicians’ voices to the soaring sound of ICC and Feiyang, four ensembles brought different colors to one stage—and shared the same love of music.
Next stop: Taiwan. Before ICC and Feiyang carried their songs across the Pacific, Irvine audiences had already sent them off with wave after wave of applause.
We sing because we love. We meet because we sing.
