The Pearl Tower dominates the Shanghai skyline

In 2012, I proposed a concert program for the Shanghai International Choral League called “Baroque Choral Pearls”. This reference has a couple of meanings; the first being that the word “baroque” comes from the Spanish word for “misshapen pearl”, and refers to the period of music history extending from the 16th through the latter half of the 18th centuries. The term “baroque”, however, was coined sometime during the 19th century by scholars who understood the music, art and culture of the time period to be excessive, opulent, ornate, and perhaps even gaudy, representing a misshapen pearl. The word “pearl” is also a reference to Shanghai itself, which is known as the Pearl City.

Pearls are harvested in the fresh water near the city and pearl jewelry is big business in the city. The fresh water pearls produced can be of variable shapes and sizes – sometimes themselves being odd in shape and color. The musical works on the concert program are “musical pearls” in their own right, and reflect the baroque style in music in many ways. Thus the dual reference represents the marriage of the Western musical canon, while at the same time, symbolizing the beauty and uniqueness of our organization and the city of Shanghai itself.