This year, for the 23rd Jin Shao Music Contest, TKU took the unprecedented step of allowing students from other universities to take part. This served to raise the standard of performance, which in turn prompted judges to expand the original quota of entrants allowed into the finals.

The current line up for the finals includes 10 vocal solos, 6 group vocals, and 10 singer / composers. The finals will be held on May 6 at TKU’s Student Activity Center.

The winner of last year’s contest in the category vocal solo, fourth year International Business student Peng Zhong-ming, has this year again made it to the final rounds, this time in both the ‘vocal solo’ and ‘group vocal’ categories. In the preliminary rounds, his joint performance with fellow TKU student, Chen Guan-yu, was especially popular with the crowd. Yet the most well-received performance of the early rounds was that delivered by a group of three TKU students, who performed the hit single ‘King of Anything’.

One student from outside TKU who made it into the finals commented “I never knew the level of talent at the Jin Shao Music Contest was so high!”