In The Media
New Straits Times, Life & Times, 23 August 2003
Operafest dazzles in 'Big Sky Country'
By Faridul Anwar Farinordin
WHO would have thought that Missoula, a friendly little town with a population of 75,000 in America's northwestern state of Montana comes alive with the sound of choral music every three years during summer.
Nestled in the Rockies and blessed by Mother Nature with an ethereal beauty, Missoula (the movie A River Runs Through It starring Brad Pitt and Robert Redford was filmed there) is home to the International Choral Festival, a community-based event which sees the participation of not only choir groups from around the world but also thousands of townsfolk as volunteers.
This year's sixth International Choral Festival, held recently, saw the participation of 19 choir groups, including a debut performance by Malaysia 's Operafest Children's Choir.
Other choir ensembles comprising both children and adults were from Angola , Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Latvia, Peru, Russia , Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan and Ukraine.
Music and Montana are as bewitching a combination as Salzburg and that famed musical, The Sound of Music.
Taken from a Latin word for "mountainous" and nicknamed "Big Sky Country" or "The Treasure State", Montana is the fourth biggest state in the United States, bordered by North Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, Idaho to the west and south, and Canada to the north.
Montana is also synonymous with the lush pinewood forests and magnificent wildlife - from elks and moose to bears and bison.
But what probably sets this festival apart from music events elsewhere is the hospitality of the people affectionately known as the Missoulians.
One of the key features of the International Choral Festival is that foreign participants are housed with host families during the five-day event, allowing them to experience the things that make Missoula magical - from the kindness of the locals to the county's countless attractions.
In case you're wondering, this is also the part of the world where the adrenaline junkies, holiday-makers and nature lovers from around the country converge every year throughout the seasons. The county's creeks, lakes and vast wilderness are the setting for activities such as fly fishing, canoeing, kayaking, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing, horseback riding and hiking.
So, apart from promoting international goodwill and camaraderie between Missoulians and their guests, the festival also allows participants to experience these activities courtesy of host families.
Some of the Malaysians, including yours truly, also visited one of the biggest preserved native American land in the country, the Flathead Indian Reservation, as well as the National Bison Range where bison and deer roam across hundreds of kilometres of natural grassland. Indeed, promoting tourism is also one of the main objectives of the festival.
All choir groups performed daily (mornings and evenings) at different venues in and around the town which included the University of Montana, churches, school halls, the malls and parks to allow participants to enjoy the picturesque valley.
Held for the first time in 1987 with only 12 participating choir groups, the festival has now become a flagship for choral festivals worldwide. It is organised by a non-profit organisation of the same name (run and overseen by volunteers) and funded through grants, corporate gifts, individual contributions and in-kind services and products donated by the Missoula community.
This year's event was themed "Bringing the World A Little Closer". It met with overwhelming response from choir groups worldwide.
"We received between 150 and 200 applications from groups which found out about the festival over the Internet," said the festival president and co-chairperson Carol Stovall.
"The number was later reduced to 25 through a stringent selection process led by the festival's artistic director and founder Donald Carey to ensure quality."
However, she explained, several choir groups from countries such as Russia , Ukraine and Hungary had to cancel their visit due to financial constraints and problems in obtaining a visa.
"Even though we ended up with less than the expected number of choir groups, the event this year was our biggest so far. This time, we have the most diverse groups of participants, from five continents," she said.
At the festival's opening ceremony in Caras Park located by a river in the heart of the town and which boasts the county's famous historical carousel, the mayor of Missoula, Mike Kadas, said: "It is amazing to see the anticipation and enthusiasm of the public over this festival.
"Five hundred volunteers and 250 host families took part this year, which is an increase in local participation. Many other families are also more than willing to share their homes with our guests." He said the festival was the first non-competitive event of its kind in the US.
Due to a high number of youth choir groups at the festival, a new event called the International Youth Concert was also introduced this year. Under the baton of guest conductor Christine Jordanoff, it featured a grand ensemble of youths who performed as the International Massed Youth Choir.
Apart from our Operafest Children's Choir, the other youth groups were the Northwest Girlchoir "Vivace" (Washington), Cantica Nova ( Slovakia), The Taipei Philharmonic Youth and Children's Choir ( Taiwan), Greensboro Youth Chorus ( North Carolina) and Jazeps Medins Music School Boys' Choir ( Latvia).
While many youth groups charmed the audience with their repertoire of folk, classical and traditional pieces, the Operafest children dazzled with their commendable song-and-dance performances of opera, operetta numbers and folk songs including Bizet's Carmen, Sigmund Romberg's The Student Prince, Porgy and Bess, Fiddler on the Roof and Wizard of Oz.
Led by its founder Kam Sun Yoke, a total of 25 members from ages eight to 18 took part in the festival. They were accompanied by their parents and guardians.
To date, Operafest has performed in various choir competitions around the world including Holland, Wales ( Britain), the US, Spain, Australia, Singapore , Greece, India and Macedonia. It also became the first Malaysian choir to place second at the Llangolen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales and third place in the prestigious International Koorfestival in Arnhem , Holland.
Perhaps the most memorable performance by Operafest was at Bonner Park on the first day of the festival. There were the group members, getting ready for their debut show attired in white shirts, pink vests and matching bow ties.
Sprawled on the field under the scorching afternoon sun were hundreds of Missoulians who proved just how much the festival has become part of the community's much-loved summer tradition and the town's main event. With their foldable chairs and rugs and picnic baskets, they were also provided for by stall operators selling hamburgers, bottled water, nachos and shaved ice drinks.
For the next 45 minutes, the Operafest Children's Choir tickled, amazed and entertained the audience with a combination of good vocals, commendable showmanship and fine choreography.
With Kam's humorous introduction before each song ("Our next number, Getaran Jiwa, literally means the vibration of the heart ... in medical terms it means a `heart attack'") and Lau Seow Yong on piano, the team had the audience spellbound.
Immediately after their last song, Mario Lanza's Donkey Serenade, the crowd in the huge park gave the Operafest children a standing ovation and requested an encore. It wasn't long before Kam returned on stage and prompted the children for a rousing rendition of Judy Garland's Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
And the response from the audience after the show was overwhelming. Apart from congratulating the children for a "marvellous show", they even requested the group members to return to Missoula, saying that they were "professional performers!" Naturally, the group's concerts were attended by their "fans".
The highlight of the festival was the performance by all of the participating choir groups - the International Massed Festival Chorus at the University of Missoula's Adam Center. |
