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Complaints Choir of Hong Kong on SCMP

Chorus of disapproval
The Complaints Choir will give voice to public concerns through song today
Katie Lau
Jul 01, 2009

A march on handover day has almost become tradition in Hong Kong. But amid today's slogan-chanting and placard-waving, one group should bring smiles to the faces of thousands of disgruntled people expected to take to the streets - a choir giving musical expression to issues that had them fuming over the past months.

"We hope we can lighten the mood as everyone is likely to get pretty worked up during the protest," says Haze Cheng Wai-sum, a co-founder of the Hong Kong Complaints Choir.

The group will make their debut at the pre-march rally at Victoria Park, with a tune composed by guitarist Ho Shan of indie band Pixel Toy and featuring lyrics based on gripes gathered from the public over several months.

"It won't be just one performance," says Cheng. "We will keep singing throughout the march and hope others will join us. It's a song written by Hong Kong people for Hong Kong people and it will make them smile."

Ho, who composed the song in one evening, says he made it a simple tune, so people would be able to learn it quickly and sing along. "We made it a happy children's song to contrast nicely with the heavy nature of the lyrics. It'll be easy for people to pick up and for us to adjust the tune to fit the words," says Ho.

Finnish artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen organised the first complaintschoir in Britain four years ago as a creative way to harness people's dissatisfaction. Fuelled by clips of the choir posted online, the idea was quickly taken up in more than 20 cities around the world, from Chicago to Singapore.

Cheng and other members of Pep, a non-profit arts group,decided to form a similar choir in Hong Kong last year after viewing video clips of ensembles performing in New York. "It's very funny and I thought Hong Kong people would embrace this concept as we love to complain," she says.The plan worked: singers were recruited mainly through exhibitions about the complaints choir concept. More than 40 volunteers committed themselves to months of weekly practices. Besides the performance today, they will stage street performances around the city every Sunday this month (hkcomplaintschoir.blogspot.com). Organisers also plan to hold an exhibition in August about the complaints choir, which will include clips of ensembles from other countries, and release a CD of songs on different themes.

Ruby Lee Yuen-tung, 18, who sings soprano in the choir, was attracted by its humorous touch. "Sometimes I feel it's futile to complain because it doesn't seem to change anything, but this project amuses me and shows that complaining need not be a negative thing," she says.

Having mostly sung for her own pleasure, Lee was initially a little intimidated by the rehearsals. "I can sing any way I want to in a karaoke session, but [with the choir] I have to count the beats and stay in synch with others. I couldn't keep up the first few times, but now I'm fine."

Despite the recruits' lackof singing experience, professional musicians guiding the choir have been struck by their talent and passion. "They have wonderful voices and I can see everyone puts their heart into this. That's what makes it great," says Celia LeungKa-yee, general manager of community singers Katterwall. Leung is conducting the choir with Barry Lee Man-kei, who plays piano for the Kassia Women's Choir.

But that's not to say the organisers and recruits take the quality of their performances any less seriously than other choirs. "I don't want people to thinkit's just a group of friends coming together to sing for us. I want us to be seen as a proper choir," she says.

In line with the choir's focus on community, lyrics for their song also grew from a group effort, albeit with guidance from Ho and Chow Yiu-fai, a prominent pop lyricist.

Volunteers spliced lyrics together, editing down the material in one afternoon from more than 700 complaints raised by the public attending exhibitions about the choir movement.

"I thought I might have to take over at some point, but I was surprised and impressed by their speed and ability," says Chow, who briefed the volunteers about lyric-writing techniques such as rhyming.

The result is lines such as: "Memories of the bells of Star Ferry are fading/ consultations on West Kowloon have lost their meaning "; and "[We] study hard everyday in vain/ the only way to get to the top is to be a phoney"."The project is about freedom of expression and democracy, so we make sure we respect the originality of the complaints and try to retain colloquial expressions," says Chow.

Some people raised minor irritations - for instance, ads screened on buses. But many point to bigger issues such as flaws in the education system, poor government and society's obsession with money. "These are issues that resonate with every Hongkonger," says Chow.

Although other matters,such as calls to lift the smokingban and legalise prostitution,don't have broad support, he says organisers try to cover the spectrum of public opinion.

Voicing dissatisfaction doesn't solve problems, but it's one way to get the process started, he says.

"We complain because welove and care about our city. The choir is a lovely way to express sincere concern."

Freud Li Ho-kwong, a 23-year-old photographer who is takingpart in his first march as a member of the choir, says he joined becausethey are giving voice to what the public thinks."I didn't join other ralliesbefore because I didn't want to be manipulated by any political party. But this is different," he says."When I sing the song, I feel the people are speaking through us.It makes people think."

For Ruby Lee, whose initial concerns were more personal (bad food in her college canteen, having to work part-time to pay for tuition instead of spending her time hitting the books), joining the choir has roused her interest in underlying social and political issues. "Theystill seem distant, but at least there are people I can talk to about them and I know more about current affairs," she says.

Protest veterans in the choir such as Wong Chung-ming, 30, hope a more creative presentation will help raise public awareness about crises in health care and education.

"Although bureaucrats keep giving us stock replies, [the choir]is an important reminder to those who have given up complaining because they think it's no use,"says the IT project manager."It makes a difference if our complaints are justified, and the choir helps us show the positiveside of complaining."

However, insurance executive Frankie Yau Chi-wai's motivesare simpler: the 28-year-old is simply enjoying himself. "I justwant to be heard," he says. "Thisis another form of expression,just like how others might shout slogans or perform a skit. But Ithink I'll have more fun."