Chorus of the PLA gears up for Sep 3 parade
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E-mail chinadaily.com.cn, August 27, 2015
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| An instructor corrects a member's pronunciation during a lesson. [Photo/www.81.cn] |
![An instructor corrects a member's pronunciation during a lesson. [Photo/www.81.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20150827/001ec949ff5c1748c29655.jpg "An instructor corrects a member's pronunciation during a lesson. [Photo/www.81.cn]")
The victory parade on Sept 3 will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Soldiers will march in unison and fighter jets fly with rainbows, as Beijing celebrates its victory under the inspection of China's top leaders and foreign heads of state.
The background music is an indispensable part of any parade. With 96 beats per minute for the National Anthem, it sets the dignified scene for the raising of the Chinese flag. At 112 beats per minute, it unites the marching soldiers with a common beat. This year's live performance will doubtless bring out the patriotism in all participants and spectators alike.
At this year's military parade, 1,200 members of the Chorus of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will perform alongside the Military Band for the first time. Both members of the chorus as well as the band have gone through strenuous training in order to deliver the perfect note on Sept 3.
Handpicked members
"Members of the PLA Chorus are all students from affiliated schools of the Chinese PLA General Armament Department, the Navy and the Air Force. Their average age is only 21 years old," said Yu Hai, who heads the chorus.
According to Yu, 7,000 candidates were selected from more than 20,000 students at seven affiliated schools, and the final 1,200 were handpicked by experts. Members may not have received professional musical training previously, but all possess great patriotism, good cultural knowledge, and were eager to learn.
This is the fifteenth time the Military Band of the PLA will perform at a military parade. Female performers will join in for the first time this year.
Zhang Haifang, a sergeant from an Air Force equipment warehouse, was there during the military parade on the National Holiday in 2009 as an officer of miscellaneous affairs. Zhang said he was mesmerized by the magic of military music, and though he had no previous training, decided to start from scratch as a performer. Zhang will join this year's parade again, but this time, as a member of the band.
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