During my days at HUFS, I sang like twittering birds. I was always sang songs on the way to school and home. I sing at "Thursday Music Club" chorus, and at "Compania", a folk music club of Department of Russia. I won the prize at International Folk Music Festival and Meaback Singing Contest in HUFS. Sometimes, I was invited to other universities to sing for their festival. I was a "pretend Music College student" in HUFS. One day, I happened to listen to the music that cause a dramatic change in my singing career. That was the album of King's Singers.
Listening to "Beatles Connection" album was a cultural shock to me. The male a cappella group attracted me with Beatles about while I mad in my high school days!! I was really surprised when a cappella touched my deep emotion. I had heard the Beatles arranged for cello by 12 cellists of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, but its far more impressive. It was neither the typical songs with deep and rich voice of male chorus nor the song with formality and strictness what once Britain remind you of. King's Singers inspired beauty to one of the Beatles' greatest masterpieces of the century, "Yesterday" with softness and delicacy in the voice of counter tenor. They played "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" in a brilliant and delightful manner with special technique using hands. Most of all, I could feel the British people's affection toward Beatles. King's Singers gave music fans a pleasure with various repertoires including folk songs, Renaissance music, opera arias modern music, and pop song like "Three times Lady".
I really wanted to sing a song just like they did. I formed an a cappella group named "Five Voices" with 4 friends who really loved King's Singers. We insisted we were better than "Ingongwiseong", an a cappella group at the Seoul National University organized prior to us and the group performed actively in and out of the campus. We recorded our college song in an a cappella version. "Five Voice" sang a number of songs of the King's singers but I couldn't sing my two favorites among them to the end. I would like to recommend you those songs: "You are the new day" and "It was almost like a song". The former is full of refreshing air of a new day and the latter is a beautiful solitude with counter tenor's clear voice.
If you already know Kings Singers, there remain another alternatives. I would recommend to you the group, "Swingle Singers" with jazz harmony from U.K. and the albums of Swedish group "Real Group", a new face to us. Swingle Singers made a record of Mozarts instrumental pieces for beginners of classical music. Personally I love "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" which has comfortable swing rhythm. Real Group made Korean fan pleasant through performance in Korea last year. Real Group is a young a cappella group from Sweden and they are planning to visit Korea once again on May. When a refreshing breeze of spring brushes gently against our cheek, what about just listen to a cappella music. It will make any kind of solitude sweet.