Photo Courtesy of The Times and Democrat           Dr. Isaiah McGee is shown conducting during the presentation of the Messiah held in November at the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel on campus. McGee and 40 members of the Claflin University Concert Choir have been invited to participate in a choral salute to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

The Claflin University Concert Choir is going global.

Forty members of the choir have been invited to China to take part in a choral salute and prelude to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

“All of these students work incredibly hard and are truly deserving of an opportunity like this,” said Claflin Choral Director and Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Isaiah McGee. “They are the official ambassadors of this university and they just love to sing.”

In order for the choir to have the opportunity to go on the tour, they must raise $170,000 by the end of March, 2008. Each choir member has been charged with raising $1,000. The choir as a whole has taken the initiative and raised more than $15,000 through various fund raisers. They have also released a CD that is available on campus by calling Dr. McGee at 803-535-5234, at the Music Doctor, 1184 Amelia Street, Orangeburg (803-539-2100), and at the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center, 649 Riverside Drive, Orangeburg (803-536-4074). The choir also hopes to boost sales of the CD when they perform at area churches to raise funds for the trip.

“This trip will open the doors and walls of education beyond Orangeburg. It’s expanding the vision of Dr. (Henry N.) Tisdale in not only becoming a local but an international power in terms of academic preparation. It puts the Claflin name out there for opportunities for more international exchange program and the possibility of new ideas for new programs. It will open the door for more dialogue.”  

The Olympic Games in Beijing will be held August 8 through August 24, 2008. The choral tour will be held June 8-18 and will also include stops in Xi’an and Shanghai. Students will be introduced to Chinese culture and history in the imperial city of Xi’an; tour Beijing, China’s capital and the heart of the nation’s government, economy and culture; and end the trip in Shanghai, China’s second largest and most cosmopolitan city. Music will be woven throughout the trip as the choir will have the opportunity to sing at historical sites such as the Great Wall in Beijing.

The Claflin University Concert Choir was invited to travel to China by Dr. Larry Wyatt, the director of Choral Studies at the University of South Carolina, who is spearheading the choral salute in Beijing.

“I can think of no finer cultural offering for the 2008 Olympics Games than to stage the best of America’s singers in a Salute to Beijing, the Olympic City,” Dr. Wyatt said. “We will sing under the banner of “Perform in Harmony – With Olympic Spirit” in this mystical capital as well as in Shanghai. … Our music will showcase the beauty all humanity shares featuring a wonderful massed choir signing great music.”

Donations to help the choir reach China are graciously being accepted. For more information on how to donate or to purchase a CD, contact Dr. Isaiah McGee at 803-535-5234 or imcgee@claflin.edu. You may also contact the Office of Communications and Marketing at 803-535-5077 or cslaughter@claflin.edu.

Members of the Claflin University Concert Choir.