In The Media

New Sunday Times, 28 November 2004
Kam's choir stands tall
 By Koh Soo Ling

THE Operafest Children's Choir seeks to elevate the lifestyle of the young to one of charm and grace instead of one that is ridden by drugs and truancy. KOH SOO LING reports.

A BUNCH of simple but highly talented children from the Klang Valley who love the stage meet every weekend, public holidays and most of the school holidays to dance and sing their hearts out at the school hall of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Suria in Taman Tan Yew Lai, Puchong, Kuala Lumpur.

Their relentless effort to nurture a common interest has won the Operafest Children's Choir international accolades.

Kam Sun Yoke, the dynamic person behind the choir, is the artistic director who has all it takes to harness these vibrant young souls to explore their passion for singing.

Kam spells out the philosophy behind the creation of choir.

"I want to give children a meaning in life. Singing is a joy. It is something that they can hold on to their hearts. My own childhood has revolved around concerts and the arts. These are the things many children nowadays miss especially with the arrival of the computer age. "I want to prove that Malaysian children can sing.

I want them to know that they can stand on par with other choirs internationally. It is part of the group's objective to promote Malaysia internationally through music besides instilling in young souls the ability to perform well on stage," she says.

At the heart of Operafest Children's Choir is the message that there is meaning in life and singing can make a difference.

With the onslaught of the computer age, children have traded their creative potential for ready-made computer games.

Operafest seeks to elevate the lifestyle of the young to one of charm and grace instead of one that is ridden by drugs and truancy.

Since 1986, the choir has raised over RM3 million for various local charities.

The key ingredients of Operafest's success? In Kam's own words, anything that is undertaken with determination, discipline and dedication is bound to succeed.

The determination of the "choir of angels" as described by the New Indian Express, a newspaper in Bangalore, India, has paid off, judging from the number of forays Operafest has made into the international arena.

It was the only Southeast Asian choir to be invited to the Adelaide Arts Festival in Australia in 1993.

The De Pauw University of Arts in Indiana, the United States was so impressed with the choir, it offered two music scholarships to deserving members of the choir.

So far, Operafest has performed at prestigious festivals around the world including Spain, Greece, Argentina, Macedonia, Australia, the US, Singapore and India.

It was also the first Malaysian choir to win second and third places at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales and International Koorfestival in Arnhem, Holland respectively. The group has also recorded American Pop Classics 1 and a Christmas album.

Discipline is central to Operafest's success. Each practice session can easily stretch from three to five hours of vocal chords training.

Kam prides herself on being a disciplinarian to the children. With her loud voice and no-nonsense attitude, she commands the respect of every individual in the choir.

Rohan Abraham, 18 and the oldest member of the choir, has been with Operafest for the last 10 years. He has nothing but praise for Kam.

"I used to follow my brother and watch him sing in the choir. I wanted to be just like him and I wasn't put off by our conductor's `iron grip'. She pushes us to do more than we can. Deep inside, we all know that she means well and she wants us to excel. So we look beyond what is obvious (her fierce temperament) and we are aware of her dedication." Parents of children who have recently joined Operafest may be naturally concerned with the strict techniques.

Audrey Chew Ernern, one of the new additions, assures her mother that "Mrs Kam" is not as fierce as she looks.

Audrey says: "She makes sure that we are focused. Even if she screams at us, we do not take it to heart. We know she means business. If she doesn't raise her voice, no one will listen."

Jane Chan Lai Ming, whose daughter Au Soung Hui joined Operafest in March this year, says that discipline is good.

"Soung Hui is learning to be committed. She knows that she has to go the extra mile if she wants to excel. Mrs Kam is serious about training the children well and we appreciate that." At the same time, dedication can never be compromised.

Both children and parents are dedicated to the choir.

Wong See Cheong, whose three children Sue-Rose, Sue-Ern and Sue-Zanne are in the choir, should know. He has been faithfully bringing them for practices every week, even on public holidays and school holidays.

"Dedication is of prime importance especially if you want to make singing a career.

I do not grumble about the frequency of practices. This encourages creativity," he says.

When the Operafest Children's Choir stands alongside world-renowned choirs like the Vienna Boys Choir, Trinity Boys Choir and Czechoslovakia Children's Choir, Kam and her young charges know that their hard work and sacrifices have not been in vain.

The Operafest Children's Choir will perform a selection of Christmas songs at the Full Gospel Assembly, USJ, 1 & 3 Jalan TS 6/10A, Taman Industri Subang, Subang Jaya on Dec 5 at 8pm. Admission is free. For details, call 03-5637-0086, 03- 5638-9953 or 012-277-1658.

Those interested in joining the choir may call Kam at 03- 6081-5781.

* kohsl@salam.uitm.edu.my * The writer is an associate of the Office of Academic Affairs and an associate professor at the Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam.