HCI’s Triumph at Xin Kong Xia 2023

Napat Kiatproongwech (23A14)

Picture an empty stage in a colossal auditorium. The searing lights blind you as your fingers reach for the microphone. You can barely make out the hundreds of eager eyes that are fixed upon you. In that deafening silence, the stage is yours.

Such was the scene at Singapore Polytechnic on 29 July, when several Hwa Chongians competed in the final round of Xin Kong Xia 2023 (XKX 2023), the Ministry of Education’s annual xinyao competition. After spending many gruelling months rehearsing their performances, would they be able to brave the ultimate test of performing at the grand finals?

Needless to say, the pressures of live performance did little to deter them. This year, Hwa Chong students achieved major success at XKX 2023. In addition to the many recipients of the Merit Award across various categories, the competition saw the school reaching new heights, winning champion titles in three out of five categories, a tremendous feat that no other school has ever accomplished in the history of the competition. Thunderous applause from the judges and the audience greeted Janelle Chen's dazzling rendition of the Weyoung classic《差不多先生》, the triumphant duo of Clavin Cher and Loo Guan Yi's《最美模样》, and the soaring highs of Zeng Tao Jin Hao and Zachary Wong's《那年春夏》, with each entry winning the champion title for the singing category, the creative songwriting category, and the open songwriting category respectively.

Let us congratulate all participants not just for their stunning accomplishments, but also for the commendable values which they displayed throughout the course of XKX 2023. Exemplifying the school motto 自强不息, the competitors demonstrated great resolve and commitment to self-improvement, and with their passionate melodies and sincere lyrics, they have profoundly inspired their schoolmates to pursue creativity in all areas and strive for courage, confidence, and determination in any endeavour. With that, we celebrate these exemplary Hwa Chongians whose love for music empowered them to be themselves that night – who, against all odds, seized the spotlight and made the stage their own.

教育部兼人力部政务部长颜晓芳与 （前排左七）新空下 新谣歌曲及创作比赛的获奖者合影

“新空下”唱响青春之歌

张巧俐23S69

2023年7月29日，我校学生踊跃参与了由推广华文学习委员会主办，弹唱人制作室、《联合早报》及裕廊先驱初级学院联办的年度《新空下》新谣歌唱及创作比赛。经过激烈的角逐，我校一举囊括了三个组别的冠军，其中高中部中文学会旗下的“未央”中文词曲创作社获得了两项冠军，创造了“未央”自成立以来的最好成绩。

三个冠军分别是歌唱组（独唱）、创作组（创意）和创作组（公开），在其他组别中，我校也取得了9项优胜奖。22S74的曾靖颖别出心裁，把爵士音乐融入创作《差不多先生》里，获得了评审的青睐，夺得我校在歌唱组的首个冠军。徐辉耀和卢冠毅献上了扣人心弦的原创作品《最美摸样》，在创作组（创意）中荣获桂冠。在创作组（公开）中，中学部的曾陶晋豪和黄仁杰生携手创作的《那年春夏》赢得了观众的热烈掌声，更迎来了中学部有史以来的第一个冠军。史无前例的佳绩可喜可贺！

华中儿女在比赛中秉承着“自强不息”的精神突破自我。这些参赛作品都是他们的原创作品，经过严格的筛选，成功进入总决赛并获得肯定，实属不易。他们坚持不懈的态度及杰出的歌曲，时刻激励着身边的人去勇敢面对生活中的挑战。祝贺同学们取得辉煌的成绩，也祝福他们继续用对音乐的热忱，奏出生命的最强音，找到属于自己的人生舞台。

获奖名单如下：

Singing category 歌唱组（独唱）: Champion 冠军

Chen Jing Ying Janelle 曾靖颖, 22S74

Creative songwriting category 创作组（创意）: Champion 冠军

Clavin Cher Hui Yao 徐辉耀, 23S62

Loo Guan Yi 卢冠毅, 23S6G

Open songwriting category 创作组（公开）: Champion 冠军

Zeng Tao Jin Hao 曾陶晋豪, 4O2

Zachary Wong 黄仁杰 4O1

Merit Awards 优胜奖

Alfredo Alexius 郭俊锋, 3P3

Hu Xintong 胡欣彤, 4I2

Zhao Deliang 赵德亮, 3O1

Xu Le 许乐, 3O1

Zhu Zifan 朱子凡, 3O1

Huang Deming 黄德铭, 3O2

Isaac Toh Kang Lei 卓康磊, 2P2

Wong Sui Rui Rodney 王绥睿, 3A2

Wang Jun Han 汪俊涵, 22S63

新空下获奖者在台下合影

华中校长彭俊豪和获奖者合影