RVA Mandarin Service Marks 50 Years with Malaysian Concert Tour Celebrating Chinese Sacred Music

The Mandarin Service of Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) marked its 50th broadcasting anniversary and the 12th anniversary of the Global Chinese Hymn Composition Contest with a three-city concert tour in Malaysia from July 31 to August 2.

The concerts brought together Chinese Catholic hymn composers, musicians, and parish groups to celebrate the faith through sacred music and promote evangelization among Chinese-speaking Catholic communities.

The tour opened on July 31 at St. Mary's Chapel in Ayer Salak, Malacca, where Chinese Catholic communities gathered for an evening of music and thanksgiving.

Fr. John Mi, Executive Secretary of the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences and Program Director of Radio Veritas Asia, highlighted the growth of the Global Chinese Hymn Composition Contest since its launch 12 years ago.

The contest has received nearly 600 original hymns for the Chinese Catholic Church, providing a platform for composers to create faith-inspired sacred music.

"About 30 percent of the submissions have come from Malaysian composers, and nearly 30 percent of the award-winning entries over the years have also been from Malaysia," Fr. Mi Shen said. He noted that Malaysian composers accounted for about 70 percent of the winning hymns in the past four editions.

He said Malacca was chosen as the first stop of the anniversary tour in recognition of the strong contribution of Malaysian composers.

"Through sharing music, we hope to encourage more young people to engage in hymn composition and participate in the mission of evangelization through music," Fr. Mi Shen said.

He described the concert as "a journey of thanksgiving," expressing hope that the Holy Spirit would continue to inspire composers to create music for Chinese-speaking Catholic communities around the world.

Fr. Yao, parish priest of St. Mary's Chapel, welcomed the participants to the 140-year-old church and encouraged them to use music as a bridge to help people encounter God.

Throughout the concert, Chinese composers, musicians, and parish groups performed original hymns in different musical styles, sharing both their music and experiences of faith.

The evening concluded with performers and the audience singing together, "Let Life Soar."

Over the past 12 years, the Global Chinese Hymn Composition Contest has encouraged Chinese-speaking Catholics to produce original sacred music for use in parish liturgies, faith formation, and evangelization. The initiative has also helped nurture new musical talent within Chinese Catholic communities across Asia and beyond.

The Malaysian tour highlighted the growing contribution of Chinese Catholic communities in Malaysia to the development of contemporary sacred music.