Ninety-six high school students from six international schools around Asia came together to celebrate humanity at the 2016 APAC Choir Festival.

The students spent three days at Western Academy of Beijing, a leading international school in the Chinese capital, fine-tuning their talents, exploring new techniques and interacting with a diverse group of peers as part of the annual festival that brings together schools from countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

"Musically, they have the chance to learn together with a professional musician, which is an opportunity of a lifetime," said WAB Choir Director Michelle Yip. "Socially, they are making life-long friendships due to such an intense period of time to come together to create music for performance. This is a bond that words cannot describe."

Inspiration came from their directors, members of visiting choirs and Guest Director Hannah Quinn, who graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is a winner of the Leonard Hancock Memorial Trust Award and the James H Geddes Repetiteur Bursary, and is an alumna of the National Opera Studio.

"I hope that each student takes away the knowledge that regardless of the tradition in which the music is composed – whether it be classical, opera, spiritual or contemporary – that each piece embodies its own spirit and history," Michelle explained. "I hope the students are able to experience that spirit of each piece of music in their lyrics and melodies addressing themes of the celebration of life, nature and unity and courage when one faces adversity.

To learn more about choir and the more than 400 other activities available to WAB students, visit our WABX page.