Some 300 expatriates and Chinese attended a concert at the church in the Jingshan Villas residential compound in Shekou, Shenzhen on Friday evening.
The performers, most of them Shekou Fellowship members, presented a total of 17 items, including For Unto Us a Child is Born, violin and piano duets like Carol of the Bells, violin solo Come O Come Emmanuel, and a new song A Holy Night by Jeremy Haw.
The audience was so overwhelmed by the music and warm atmosphere that they seemed to forget the chilly weather outside.
When the choir performed the Hallelujah chorus, some expatriates including Australians Hugh Nelson and Suzy Nelson joined the group. It s a tradition to stand up during the Hallelujah chorus, Hugh Nelson told Shenzhen Daily after the concert. He explained that King George II attended the first London performance of Handel s oratorio The Messiah. The King remained seated for most of the oratorio, but when he heard the words and the music of the Hallelujah chorus, he stood up because the chorus was giving praise to the King of Kings and then the rest of the audience in the theater also stood up.
The Shekou Fellowship Christmas Concert ended with Silent Night and the audience stood to sing with the choir.
(Cathy Mo)
