Peiyang Chorus Wins Prizes at 2025 World Choir Festival

On July 17, 2025, on the World Choir Festival held in Hong Kong, Tianjin University's Peiyang Chorus securing the first place in the Mixed Chorus Category, second place in the Contemporary Music Category, and the Outstanding Young Conductor Award.

Organized by the World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association, the World Choir Festival is one of the most prominent choral events in the world.

"All members of Peiyang Chorus are fearless of hardship, fatigue, or tough challenges. They keep pushing forward with great determination — just like young calves who are fearless and eager to take on the world," said He Yuening, a Grade 2022 undergraduate student at Tianjin University and leader of the Peiyang Chorus: "We have proven that the Peiyang Chorus is capable of competing at the highest level of the world choral stage."

Conductor Sun Chenyu of the Peiyang Chorus was awarded the Outstanding Young Conductor Award, making him a rising star at this year's festival. Sun earned his bachelor’s degree from the School of Computer Science and Technology at Tianjin University and later pursued a master’s degree in choral conducting at Kansas State University. He was a member of the Peiyang Chorus when he was an undergraduate at Tianjin University. After obtaining his master’s degree, he joined the Peiyang Chorus as an assistant conductor and studied choral conducting systematically under Professor Ren Baoping at Tianjin University. In recent years, he has also won the Best Conductor Award at the 2023 International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition and created or adapted numerous choral works, including "Moon Rising", and "After the Rain".

The Peiyang Chorus of Tianjin University represents the highest artistic standards among non-professional student choirs in China. It was once honored by the International Federation for Choral Music with the title of "World Choir." In recent years, Peiyang Chorus of Tianjin University has performed in nearly 30 countries and regions around the globe and has won more than 40 international awards. It has become a beautiful cultural ambassador for Tianjin University and the city of Tianjin.

As a student choir composed entirely of non-music majors, the Peiyang Chorus has successfully explored a unique educational path that integrates liberal arts education with artistic excellence, within the framework of Tianjin University’s "Aesthetic Education and Cultural Cultivation" program. Peiyang Chorus has continuously cultivated composers, conductors, and vocalists who are now well-known in the choral field, and it stands as a model for cultivating outstanding artistic talent through high-level artistic practice.

By Sun Xiaofang