In The Media

New Sunday Times, 12 March 2000
Little ambassadors of song
By Sharon Wong

"SMILE," Kam Sun-Yoke orders her young charges as they struggle to get into position for a group picture and threatens them good-naturedly: "If I look at the picture and see anybody not smiling..."

A large straw hat on her head and dressed in T-shirt and pants, the petite Kam herself looks like a member of the Operafest Children's Choir... until she uses that powerfully commanding voice of hers and everybody knows exactly who's in charge!

It's a Sunday afternoon and the children are getting ready for practice under the watchful eyes of Kam, the founder and choir director. She speaks with the parents, darts here and there and like a mother hen, rounds up the young ones. Giggles and chatter eventually fade as they get down to business.

"Children are easy to teach," she says with obvious fondness. "They are so receptive and their minds are not cluttered. At the same time, they are great imitators."

However, Kam has her work cut out because all her members are untrained when they come to her.

"Most choirs around the world pick their members from children who are already well-trained - they just choose the best," Kam says.

"Since they can already sing, they are given the experience and exposure but not much else. That is not good enough for me. I feel that in order to do the job properly, the children must be taught the art of singing. If the child can carry a tune, that's good enough. If he has the pitch, we can hone the skills. If a child cannot do it well, then you've got to show him how to do it!

"When we are learning a new song, we have to go line by line, verse by verse - and over and over again. They must know the words, the music, how to throw the voice out, all the dynamics involved."

A lesser person would have thrown in the towel long ago but her passion ("More like madness," she says and laughs heartily) for the art sees her through.

Teaching is a tedious process and takes a lot out of her but Kam sticks to the philosophy that if she can teach them well, they will sing well and the choir will benefit. She uses the art of imagery to get through to the children and if one thing don't work, she tries another approach.

Not only does she coach the children on how to carry a note, she also spends a lot of time teaching them about the anatomy of the mouth, how delicate the organ is and about projection of the voice.

"The voice box, the larynx area, diaphragm and lungs are all inter- related and the mastery of the voice involves the whole body. If you do it properly, you get fantastic volume and a sound that rings and blossoms!

And this is an art that you'll be learning until the day you die."

Since its inception in 1986, Operafest Children's Choir has participated in music festivals in Greece, Spain, Macedonia, Australia, New York, Indiana and Singapore. In 1991, it was placed third in the International Koorfestival Arnhem, Holland, and second in the Llangollen International Musical, Eisteddfod, Wales. They gave staged countless plays such as Rodgers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song and South Pacific, Jerome Kern's Showboat, Bizet's Carmen, Lehar's The Merry Widow and Land Of Smiles, Lionel Bart's Oliver and many more.

The choir also made a guest appearance with the Vienna Boys' Choir when they performed in Kuala Lumpur in 1992, which was an unprecedented feat. They have won competitions, standing ovations and citations from appreciative quarters overseas but the Operafest Children's Choir has yet to be recognised in their own homeland.

And this is what gets Kam's goat. "I just don't understand it," she says. "Choirs overseas are always so eager to meet with us and exchange ideas. They are amazed that our choir can sing the way they do.

"Like it or not, the Operafest Children's Choir has become Malaysia's singing ambassador and what better way to foster ties than through the innocent voices of children?

"Wherever we go, the children are made a fuss of and we are given the keys to the cities. They think we are great and that our country must be so proud of us. Little do they know that this is not so."

One would think that such international accomplishments would get their fellow countrymen to sit up and take notice. But attempts by Kam to get support and sponsorship have failed to garner much interest. Nevertheless, she plods on tirelessly with the children giving her all the boost she needs.

"The greatest pleasure is that at the end of the day, they all deliver!" She says, almost bursting with pride. The children have not only amazed the overseas audience with their singing but also with their manners and discipline. And nobody is as proud of them as Kam.

"They are really very good," she enthuses. "They are always well-behaved and never complain, even when they have to lug their own luggage around.

"But of course, children will be children and off-stage, they can be playful and even fight with each other. This is good as they release energy. However, once they step onto the stage, they are transformed into little professionals. They know when a mistake is made and when they get off the stage, they will gang up on the culprit!

"But what is important is that they grow together and often gain strength from each other."

An accomplished opera singer herself who had performed at the Barcelona Music Festival and in Russia, Kam credits a music teacher she had during her school years in Penang for getting her started.

"Her name is Olive Wong and she was the one who first introduced songs to me. She did not teach me singing techniques as not everyone can do that but she did give me a head start in singing."

From there, Kam developed a dream of promoting the arts and providing a sound education through music for the country's youth. "Music is a personal voyage of discovery that everybody should embark upon," she says. Today, the Operafest Children's Choir forms a unique trinity comprising the children, their parents and Kam. "It's a beautiful love triangle," Kam laughs.

The parents couldn't agree more. They are delighted at what Kam has accomplished with their children and are amazed at the calibre of the choir. In showing their support, they provide `taxi service' and chaperoning duties without a word of complain.

"We are the behind-the-scene people," says Prem Abraham who has two sons in the choir, Arivind (16) who had to put choir practice on hold due to this being his SPM year and Rohan (13).

"We are also the ones who help out the children when they are sourcing for material for their costumes," chips in Clement Wong, proud parent of 13-year-old Joel.

"We help with the promotions come concert time... things like getting sponsors, spreading the word and selling tickets to friends and relatives."

Clement and his wife Lucille proudly recall the time, about four years ago, when Joel decided that he wanted to join the choir. "He saw one of their performances and then read a write-up in the New Straits Times," says Clement.

"He made all the contacts himself and recruited us to be his drivers."

Feeling that anything that gets his son away from the TV is wonderful, the Wongs couldn't be happier.

"Joel used to be not very sociable and didn't mix well but since joining, it has given him a group of close friends. He has found his niche in Operafest.

"Kam is a very strict disciplinarian and is extremely committed to excellence - even obsessional! But being a disciplinarian myself, her methods fit in well with our philosophy."

Prem echoes the fact that Operafest has given his sons a group of good friends and says that along the way, they have also gained confidence and developed a sense of responsibility.

"It's really surprising to see them performing in such a high standard," he says. "The fact that they have it in them. Personally, I wouldn't do it - neither would anybody else in the family!"

Newcomer to the big happy family of the Operafest Children's Choir is Rosli Ghazalli and his wife Suraya. Their daughter Marisa, 13, only just joined about a month ago and already she has found her niche.

"At first, she was quite shy but after a half hour, she was chatting happily," says Ghazalli. "The children have a way of communicating that makes the newcomer feel welcome. It's like an extended family for them.

Kam has done a tremendous job and it's a pity she does not have more support. After all, the children have done so much, have had standing ovations and such overseas.

"This is what Malaysia Boleh! is all about. Operafest has proven we are able to produce our own Mariah Careys. What they need now is support and sponsorship. The big companies and the Ministry, should do more.

"Operafest is promoting culture and helping to create friendships among the young, instilling responsibility - all of which are useful qualities for our children. And the fact that they train every weekend afternoon - a favourite time for kids to lepak - does well to keep them off the streets."

Ghazalli, who has three other children (all boys), would be delighted if they all developed an interest in Operafest.
 
* The children are practising for and will be presenting Sigmund Romberg's The Student Prince at Singapore's Kallang Theatre on March 24 and 25. The show is sponsored by The Great Eastern Life Assurance Singapore. Next in line is Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific which will be staged at the PJ Civic Centre in December. The choir is now looking for sponsors for their show. Every little bit helps!
 
Those who wish to lend their support to the Operafest Children's Choir can contact Kam at * 03-6015781 or send an e-mail to friends@operafest.net