HONG KONG (SE): The annual online carolling video from the Diocesan Audio-Visual Centre [DAVC] featured Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ. and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing and 10 priests of the diocese sharing the joy of Christmas.
The Catholic Way, the online platform of the centre, posted the six-minute carol medley on December 5. The centre has produced online carolling videos since 2015 featuring different priests from the diocese.
“But this year, the video has the biggest cast ever, to welcome the new bishop and to bring more joy to people as the [Covid-19] pandemic has shown some sign of relief,” Zita Tsang Wai-Han, of DAVC, commented.
The medley was arranged by composer, Anthony Cheng Yu-sum, bringing together three popular Christmas carols: O Come, O Come Emmanuel, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Angels We Have Heard on High, into one song in a combination of classical and modern jazz styles.
Tsang said the new style presented minor difficulties for the priests, who were more used to singing the songs in classical ways. But they all quickly adjusted to the upbeat rhythm with some coaching.
Tsang shared that throughout the production process, laughter filled the air as the priests did the happy task. She thanked the two bishops and the priests, who readily agreed to help when they were approached.
The 12 singers came to the production room separately and spent two hours each in production: one hour for practising and recording, and another hour for video recording.
“The priests found it hard to understand why a six-minute musical video took more than 20 hours to record. However, it was, in fact, necessary as each shot was chosen out of many others to make it an enjoyable video,” Tsang explained.
Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu, one of the singers, said it is the fruit of the efforts of many people in the production team, and that the outcome shows the unity of the Church.
He humbly said he is not a good singer and thanked the production team for skillfully singling out the best part to combine it with the other singers.
Father Benedict Lam Cho-ming shared similar feelings, noting that he had difficulty in finding the rhythm. However, he was happy to participate in the online carolling to remind people to be joyful every day, especially during Christmas despite the pandemic, to celebrate the birth of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Music bands like Agape Musica, Emmanuel Music, GsM, Prism Music, Wincy & Wayne were also invited to do online carolling on the channel.
