About Us
General
Nikkei Choral Ensemble, also known as NiCE, is an a cappella group at UC Berkeley dedicated to arranging and performing songs in both Japanese and English. We are a group of fun-loving individuals who enjoy sharing good music and making people smile.
Humble Beginnings
Nikkei Choral Ensemble was founded in 2010 by Naomi Amakawa as an open student musical group within the Nikkei Student Union (NSU). The group, without an official name, served as more of a social music group rather than a performing arts group and only occasionally performed at cultural events.
From Fall 2011 to Spring 2016, Nikkei Choral Ensemble operated as an autonomous group within the NSU. Holding their first showcase in Spring 2012, members of NiCE began to focus on performance as a key component of group activity. The group began auditioning new members within the same semester.
In Fall 2016, Nikkei Choral Ensemble became an independent RSO musical group. Since then, NiCE has focused on continuously improving sound and performance, in order to put together the best showcases they possibly can.
Our Music
Each semester, we aim to put on a public showcase of pieces we work on as a group. Our entirely member-selected and arranged repertoire consists of a wide variety of both Japanese and English music, ranging from western pop and indie songs to songs from anime and games, Japanese classics, and more. Our repertoire changes every semester as a result of members’ dedication to arranging and performing new songs.
For more information about our current repertoire, please contact us at nikkeichoralensemble@gmail.com.
Current Members
Ava Jo
Marissa Shoji
CJ Chin
Aimi Sakamoto
Alex Kahn
Akira Motani
Diane Liang
Evi Garza
Michael Liu
Lucky Tsoi
Mark Hu
Mindy Li
Shiwei Chen
Stella Kum
♡ Alumni Group ♡
Check out our alumni group, MEaN (Members Even After NiCE)!