The Waterloo Chinese Philharmonic Choir (WCPC) is a non-auditioned choir based in Waterloo Region in Southern Ontario. The choir explores traditional choral works, both accompanied and a cappella, delivered in Mandarin Chinese and English. A community of passionate amateur singers, the choir has been enjoying making music together for 13 years and counting. Under the direction of Jiang Xingyu, the choir hassung over a hundred choral arrangements of folk & popular songs from a wide variety of Chinese regions, in addition to England, Ireland, and Canada.The members of the choir represent a vibrant cross-section of the Chinese community in Waterloo and beyond, including realtors, professors, doctors, and engineers. Established in March 2010, the WCPC aims to promote artistic activity within the Chinese Canadian community and to enrich the wider community through the sharing of cultural performances. The group is a flagship musical organization for the Chinese community in Waterloo, boasting more than 80 members in 2022.

The choir has performed across southern Ontario, including atmultiple venues in Waterloo, Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre (at the 21 st -29 th Hai Hua Yin Yue Jie Festivals), Toronto’s ___________ (at He Sheng Zhi Ye), and London’s Convention Centre (at Chinese New Year Celebrations). Past collaborations include Spring Festival Galas with the Waterloo Police Association Choir (2017 & 2023), multicultural festival performances, and fundraising projects to support natural disaster relief. In recent years, the choir presents two annual projects: an online choir showcase of members’ diverse artistic talents as well as premiers of virtual choir projects; and a live, in-person performance in Waterloo.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the choir has worked to be inclusive to those who are unable to attend in-person choral activities. In 2023, the choir’s latest setup is a hybrid model: there are weekly online rehearsals in addition to weekly in-person rehearsals that are connected to online members via Zoom.

Lesson Schedule and Activities 

Sunday Evenings from 7:00PM to 9:00PM EST (Online class)

Wednesday Evenings from 7:00PM to 9:00PM EST (In-person class)

Lesson Content:

• Voice Guidance & Practice
• Learn to sing from a variety of select vocal works
• Weekly reviews and warm ups
• Chorus and choral training
• Workshops and lectures during some lessons
• After-school fitness exercises (Baduanjun, eye exercises)

Activities: 

• Anniversay celebrations
• Haihua musical festival performances 
• Performances across the Waterloo region 

Musical Director Biography

The WCPC is taught and directed by Ms. Jiang Xingyu, who has long been engaged in music education and has rich experiences in vocal pedagogy and chorus performance. Ms. Jiang’s teaching style is engaging for singers of a wide range of levels, building foundational vocal & musical skills while also exploring the nuances of harmony and performance artistry.