Last weekend was one of the best I had in a long time, filled with music and laughter that can be described as truly uplifting – music that warms the heart, and laughter that heals the soul. It was as if every song was deliberately chosen to reflect this twin purpose from the opening song ‘Getting to know you‘ to the fitting finale ‘Thank you for the music‘.
Day 1 was all about rehearsals and making friends. Day 2 kicked off with a high energy session of Laughter Yoga led by Debbie Rodrigo and her team. |
The children from the National Autism Society of Malaysia delighted the audience with a heart-warming ‘Getting to Know You’. |
Credit goes to Cheryl Teh, chairperson and choir director of the Philharmonic Society of Selangor, affectionately known as The Phil, and her team for the long hours of hard work in putting together such a wonderful showcase of songs and singers that not only entertained but also enlightened. True, everyone can sing, but not everyone can sing like Janet Lee, Elvira Arul or Victor Chua, if you know what I mean. Brenda James-Leong was outstanding as emcee, and so was Nish Tham who provided the musical accompaniment. All of you deserve a standing ovation!
The Inclusion Choir made up of choir members from the University of the Third Age (U3A) and members from Malaysia Parkinson’s Disease Association (MPDA) gave a beautiful rendition of ‘Sejahtera Malaysia‘ under the direction of Dr Indra Selvarajah who is the Founding President of Malaysian Music Therapy Association (MMTA). She also serves on the committee of the Malaysian Society of Music in Medicine (MSMM) at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Next up was Victor Chua. I had heard Victor sing ‘There’s a Dream‘ at the rehearsal and became an instant fan! The song has been haunting me since then. Just couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s an original song composed by Victor. He sang it at the 1989 Commonwealth Games in KL. This updated version has new lyrics to reflect the hopes of a new Malaysia.
One problem with video recording at a concert is the obstruction from people walking past or from others who are also recording. I am posting these videos below taken at the rehearsals where there were minimal obstructions.
There is so much more to singing than just belting out a song. I discovered this during rehearsals under the direction of renowned founder of community choirs Dr Jonathan Welch from Melbourne who directed the mass choir in three songs: ‘This Train is a long time coming’, ‘Happy Together’ and ‘Hand in Hand’.
It’s amazing after only a few hours of rehearsal, the Mass Choir comprising members from the U3A choir and the Phil choir gave such an impressive performance at the concert.
I was there on both days and can attest to how meticulous (and insistent) Dr Welch was in ensuring that the choir got the enunciation and the pitch right, down to the phonetics! He said if we got it right the first time, it would be a whole lot easier to get it right every time. Absolutely. He demonstrated the importance of proper breathing and correct posture for singing well. He had such a great sense of humor and made the rehearsals so much fun.
A timely inclusion of Tanah Pusaka given that we are just days away from celebrating Merdeka Day on 31 August. It’s a new dawn for the country under a new government after 61 years! So easy this time to sing with feeling.
Indeed, THANK YOU to The Phil for the music, the laughter and the joy we had at the concert. One audience member put it so well when she summed it up thus on the Phil’s facebook page: “Enjoyed the Phil’s 60th celebratory concert. Full of warmth and love.”
We echo that sentiment 100%.