In The Media

The Star, 13 March 2003
Doing the country proud
By Siow Yuen Ching

WHEN Malaysia’s Operafest Children’s Choir went on a charity concert tour in Bangalore, India at the end of last year, it was given a VIP welcome and garlanded with scented flowers at the airport.  

The choir, described as “a choir of angels” by a local Indian daily The New Indian Express, was invited to perform in Bangalore to raise funds for the St Mark’s Cathedral Resource Centre there.

The cathedral’s presbyter-in-charge Rev Franklin Macwana said the 10mil rupee (RM830, 000) state-of-the-art resource centre was part of the cathedral’s plans for its 200th birthday celebration in 2008. The choir members, ranging from ages 10 to 18, were invited based on suggestion from an Indian couple, whose children are also in the group. 

“St Mark’s Cathedral and the Operafest Children’s Choir have got together for good will and camaraderie to help us raise funds,” said Macwana. 

The choir started its one-week charity tour with a press conference on the first day to trumpet its arrival. 

On the following days, the group went on a fund-raising tour in local schools and colleges. 

Everywhere the choir went, shouts of “Encore! Encore!” filled the hall after each performance.  

The choir performing the Trolley song from the musucal Meet Me in St Louise.

The climax of the tour was a grand concert, themed One Voice One Heart, held at the auditorium of the Bishop Cotton Girls’ School – one of Bangalore’s prestigious boarding schools. 

The children performed an exciting blend of songs from various operas, Broadway hits as well as a few Christmas carols accompanied by pianist Yap Yin Fong. 

Although the choir did not perform to a packed hall, the children definitely enthralled the audience and won themselves a rapturous applause during the finale. One of the “veteran” choir members, 16-year-old P. Priya Dharshini noted: “We are more well known overseas than locally”. 

She added that during their performance in Argentina in 2000, the organiser even prepared a Malaysian flag, which was raised during the first night of their performance. “Seeing the flag flying high really boosted our morale,” she added. 

According to choir conductor Kam Sun Yoke, the children have been received by mayors and governors and loved by the international press after becoming the first Malaysian choir to win third and second places in international Choir Competitions in Holland and Wales. The children have also been invited to many prestigious choir festivals in Spain, Greece, Macedonia, Indiana and New York in the United States, Australia, Argentina and Singapore. 

Kam Sun Yoke takes the children to great heights with her individual passion.

Describing the children as young ambassadors for Malaysia, Kam said the rigorous hard work and sacrifices that the children have put in to achieve global recognition is something to be proud of.  

The Operafest Children’s Choir has come a long way since its inception in 1986 – from a choir group who held their practices by the roadside at Damansara Heights in Kuala Lumpur to an international acclaimed choir.  

Kam admitted that it was “a kind of ego trip” that prompted her to form this choir because she wanted to prove to the world that Asian children could sing as well as, if not better than their Western counterparts. 

Although her group of talented children come from different backgrounds, their common love for music binds them together to produce excellent shows around the world. Susan George Valladares, 45, a mother and one of the chaperones for the group in India, said she and her husband were impressed and surprised to hear that these children actually enjoyed singing opera songs. 

“The children work very well as a team. It is like a private club that they have set up on their own,” said the mother of 13-year-old Operafest singer Alexander David Pon. Describing the choir as an artistic avenue for the children to develop themselves, Valladares said her son had became more sociable since joining the choir. 

“Being one of the youngest in the group, Alex had learnt how to interact with older people and adults,” she added.  

The highly volatile Kam, however, shared a very distinctive relationship with her children. 

As she told the media in Bangalore during the press conference: “Sometimes I wonder if I’m mad to do a thing like this. Weekly rehearsals are like wrestling. I beg them, cajole them and feel like strangling them! I want to inspire them. Their parents under stand the importance and support it.” 

Kam added that while the government is trying to overcome social ills through the setting up of special programmes and youth centres, it should also consider the introduction of music-based projects. 

This year, the Operafest has been invited to perform at Montana Choral Festival in the United States from July 16 to 20.  

Kam said it was a privilege to be invited to perform among the world’s top choir groups at such an esteemed event. 

In May, the choir group would perform in Singapore. 

Kam added that the Operafest Children’s Choir was presently working alongside with cartoonist Jerry Verschoor and pianist Khoo Soo Ghee to record nursery rhymes. 

“Verschoor, who used to work with Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks will be producing the animation,” she said, adding that among some of Verschoor’s previous work included El Dolorado and Prince of Egypt. 

The Operafest Children’s Choir has produced a 45-minute biography and the short movie made its debut at the Singapore International Film Festival early this year. The film will also be shown at the Berlin Film Festival in Hamburg, Germany this month.  

• The Operafest Children’s Choir is presently on a recruitment drive. Those interested can contact Kam Sun Yoke at 03-6081 5781.