On September 21, the Okayama University Glee Club participated in the "63rd Chugoku Choral Competition" held at the Shimane Prefectural Hall and won a Gold Award! This marks the first Gold Award for the club since its establishment.

The right to participate in this competition was earned by the top two groups from the "77th Okayama Prefectural Choral Competition," held on August 11 at the Kurashiki City Arts and Culture Hall. The club performed the required piece "Shichirihama" and the free choice piece "Sōmon II/Yume no Yo ni," achieving a Gold Award and first place for the first time in 20 years, which led to their recommendation for the Chugoku Competition.

Chief conductor NAGAI Hiroki (3rd year, School of Education) expressed his joy about winning the Gold Award, saying, "The Chugoku Choral Competition provided us with a truly valuable experience. Although we missed the chance to participate in the national competition, receiving the Gold Award has been a wonderful opportunity to realize our growth." He added, "In recent years, the Okayama University Glee Club had not participated in competitions, so this year’s entry was a new challenge. We practiced with the dream that 'it would be amazing if people with different choral experiences, departments, and backgrounds could create the best music on the stage of the Chugoku Competition.' Practicing the same piece repeatedly requires considerable patience. To keep our practice enjoyable and fresh, we tried various methods, such as discussing the musical themes and singing other parts, but there were many challenges. Nevertheless, thanks to the members’ resilience in attending practices leading up to the competition, we were able to achieve this result. I am very grateful to all the members. Our group will undergo a generational transition with our regular concert on January 18 next year. As we continue our history, we dream that our path will one day lead us to the national competition."

Let’s look forward to the Glee Club’s continued journey as they strive for the national competition!