Chicora Voices

Chicora Voices Official Page of Chicora Voices, a professional choral ensemble based in Greenville, South Carolina.

06/04/2026

The Flowing Stream (小河淌水）comes from Yunnan Province in southwestern China. In the original folksong, a young woman sings beneath the moon, sending her thoughts across the mountains to her lover far away.

Chen Yi’s choral arrangement keeps the melody’s quiet simplicity, allowing to unfold as naturally as water finding its path downstream. 🏞️

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月亮出來亮汪汪
想起我的阿哥在深山
哥像月亮天上走，哥啊！
山下小河淌水清悠悠

The rising moon is bright,
my love is in the deep mountains.
He is like the moon walking in the sky, my love!
Beneath the mountain the flowing stream runs clear.

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

05/26/2026

This folksong’s eponymous refrain, “Kwaejina ching ching nane,” doesn’t carry a literal meaning, but the “ching ching” recalls the sound of the kkwaenggwari, a small Korean folk gong used to lead rhythm and celebration. Our soloist, , plays the role of the caller in this call-and-response, while the choir responds with their joyful nonsense refrain! 🌸🎵

Soloist: Sandy Sharis

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얼씨구 좋구나 지화자 좋다.
쾌지나 칭칭 나네
여보시오 내 말 좀 들어보소.
서산에 지는 해를
그 뉘라서 잡아매며?
가는 세월을 막을손가?

Hurray, this is fantastic.
kwaejina ching ching nane
Excuse me, please listen to me.
Who can tie down the setting sun in the western mountains?
Who can stop the passing of time?

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

We’re so excited to share that our Artistic Director, Philip Reed , was selected as a national finalist for The America...
05/19/2026

We’re so excited to share that our Artistic Director, Philip Reed , was selected as a national finalist for The American Prize in Conducting (professional chorus division)—The Dale Warland Award! ✨

The honor comes in recognition of Chiroca Voices’ spring concert in the last season, Sing Freedom: American Choral Traditions. 🇺🇸

Congratulations, Philip!
Ain’t-a that good news!

05/12/2026

We are overjoyed to share that our own Virginia Grabovsky .taylor.g , who recently appeared with us for Birdsong and Fragrant Flowers, will be joining VOCES8 beginning in July 2026! ✨

Virginia’s beautiful, warm voice is matched only by her impeccable musicianship, sensitive musicality, and enchanting stage presence. We’re so honored to have worked with her and could not be happier for her.

Congratulations, Virginia — we cannot wait to follow this next chapter of your journey! 🎶

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

05/07/2026

Volume warning — loud train whistles ahead! 🚂

In “Diu Diu Dang Ah” (丟丟銅仔), a Taiwanese folk melody, the “diu diu” comes from the sound of water dripping inside mountain railway tunnels. 🛤️⛰️

What do your train rides sound like? 🎶🚂

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火車行到伊都阿末伊都丟
唉唷磅空內
磅空的水伊都
丟丟銅仔伊都
阿末伊都丢仔伊都滴落來

A train is passing chugga-chugga- “drip!‘
choo-choo into the tunnel.
The water in the tunnel chugga-
’drip-drip-drop!‘ chugga-chugga-choo-choo,
’drip!‘ a-chug comes dripping down.

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

05/06/2026

Fun fact from the world of film and music 🎬

During the production of Kurosawa Akira’s Ran(乱, 1985), composer Takemitsu Tōru wrote a piece titled 明日は晴れかな、曇りかな — “Will tomorrow, I wonder, be clear or cloudy?” ☀️☁️

It’s thought to refer to both the real weather affecting filming days, and the more subtle reality of creative work—where plans and energy can shift as quickly as the forecast.

In music and film, “good conditions” aren’t always something you schedule in advance.

If you’ve ever tried to plan a rehearsal, a shoot, or anything creative… you already know.

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昨日の苦しみ、今日の悩み
明日は晴れかな、曇りかな

Yesterday’s suffering, today’s trouble—
Will tomorrow, I wonder, be clear or cloudy?

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

#鳥語花香

05/05/2026

“Through blackest night, I’ll wait for you until dawn.” 🌄

The only men’s piece of our Birdsong and Fragrant Flowers concert, “Wait for You Until Dawn” is an arrangement of a beautiful Kazakh folksong, portraying deep longing for a distant lover.

美麗的姑娘啊
從黑夜
等你到天明

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

#鳥語花香 #等你到天明

04/29/2026

The birdsong you didn’t know you needed to hear! 🐦🌸

Spring Dreams by Chen Yi was the mesmerizing opening piece of our Birdsong and Fragrant Flowers concert. Enjoy this clip of our performance! ✨

The music is a setting of the poem Spring Dreams by Meng Hao-ran (689-740, Tang Dynasty), sung in Chinese. In the beginning of the piece, several groups of ostinati enter gradually in various tempos, imitating the vivid pulse of birds singing everywhere, accompanying a fresh melody in the Beijing Opera speech-singing style, sung here by the sopranos. The music depicts the liveliness and joy of spring.

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

#鳥語花香 #春曉

12/23/2025

🎁 A Chicora Christmas gift! 🎁

We were so grateful for the wonderful audience that came out for our Christmas in New Spain concerts in Greenville and Asheville — your enthusiastic support is deeply appreciated.

As a small Christmas gift, we’ve chosen three of our favorite pieces from the program to share with you. I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting these pieces — you can find them on YouTube via the link below. 🎁🎶

https://www.youtube.com//videos

Your continued support makes everything we do possible. If you weren’t able to attend the post-concert reception but would still like to support the season ahead, I invite you to join our Director’s Circle online through the link below.

https://www.chicoravoices.org/support

On behalf of all of us at Chicora Voices, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, a joyful holiday season, and a music-filled New Year. 🎄✨

— Philip Reed
Artistic Director, Chicora Voices

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Next up:

🌸 April 24-25 | Birdsong and Fragrant Flowers
East Asian Choral Music

Join our mailing list and never miss a concert 🔗💌

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🎁 Become a supporter!

Enjoyed our concert?

Join our Director’s Circle for the following season to keep our music alive! 🔗💙

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This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council , which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, Michelin North America, Inc., SEW Eurodrive and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

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This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.



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P. O. Box 2481
Greenville, SC
29602

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