The inaugural concert in the Wellington International Concert Series, A Gala Evening of Music and Song, held on 29th November at the Seldon Theatre, Wellington College International Tianjin, drew a standing ovation and thunderous applause from the packed audience, as it was not only a night of wonderful music but also a charitable one.
The performers were three outstanding and successful musicians – Randal Turner (Baritone) and Georgina Chakos (Soprano), accompanied by Steve Griffiths on the piano. The voices of Turner and Chakos reverberated throughout the theatre and were truly exceptional and inspiring. The two artists have known each other since their student days together at Indiana University in the USA, having shared the stage for the first time in Bloomington, Indiana for a production of West Side Story. They went on to sing a Gala Concert on stage at the Zurich Opera House for the Hospiz Zurcher Lighthouse and recently sang a Christmas concert together for Theodora Children’s Trust. With this background, it was no wonder that the blending of their voices was flawless and sensational.
On the piano was Steve Griffiths, the Director of Music at Wellington College, who has accompanied many well-known operatic soloists during the past ten years, such as Sir Willard White, Bonaventura Bottone, Jennifer Dakin, to name just a few. He moved to Tianjin earlier this year to take up the post for Wellington College, as did Ms Chakos, who runs the drama department at Wellington. One can only marvel at the good fortune of the Wellington students to have two such teachers.
What made the event more meaningful was that all donations collected during the concert, CNY 10,000 from Wellington and CNY 11,000 from guests, were given to Wellington’s chosen charity - the International Committee for Chinese Orphans (ICCO). Jenny Kuritar, ICCO co-chairperson, was present to accept the donation and at the same time thanked Wellington for choosing the all-volunteer organization as the designated charity for such an evening.
