Friday July 24, 2009
Noble cause
By SHEELA CHANDRAN
Operafest’s One Bow Wow, One Heart charity concert series provides entertainment as well as an outlet to address animal cruelty.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1940s musical South Pacific is making a revival – at a charity concert organised by Operafest Children’s Choir. The event, held tonight and on Sunday at PJ Live Arts Centre, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya in Selangor, is in aid of two animal sanctuaries and if you enjoy songs from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, then do your part for charity.
“South Pacific is touted as one of the greatest musicals comprising lovely songs that have become standards. The musical was a box-office hit and has enjoyed many successful revivals, tours and a film version,” said Operafest’s founder and artistic director Kam Sun-Yoke during an interview.
With all our hearts: Operafest artistic director Kam Sun-Yoke (centre) and her young charges preparing for their upcoming performance. Songs featured from the musical include classics like Some Enchanted Evening, Bloody Mary, There Is Nothing Like A Dame and This Nearly Was Mine. For the concert’s second half, Kam is also including American pop classics in the equation. Favourites such as Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, Red Roses For A Blue Lady and a mix-match of Chinese classics like Shanghai Night and Jasmine Flower are on the cards, too.
This is the second time Kam is having a performance featuring songs from South Pacific. The first was in 2000 which received positive feedback from the masses. This time, she hopes to garner even better response from music lovers.
“It is important to find a flavour that suits audiences. When South Pacific was staged nine years ago, the crowd enjoyed the songs. Sometimes, if songs are deemed too ‘heavy’, you might find audiences yawning. Whenever I choose songs for concerts and musicals, I have to depend on the enthusiasm and what suits audiences best,” added Kam with a warm smile.
Tonight’s musical concert, One Bow Wow, One Heart aims to raise funds for abused animals at Madam Kang’s Animal Sanctuary in Taiping, Perak and Furry Friends Farm in Kundang, Selangor. Kam explained the sole purpose of the show was to teach children to be kind to pets.
“Violence that humans inflict on animals are often unnoticed. It is saddening to flip through the papers and come across articles about abused animals,” said Kam, an animal lover who cares for 11 stray dogs at her home in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor.
Launched in 1986, Operafest is an established choral group comprising talented children aged between seven and 16 years.
To date, Operafest has tackled various types of shows with repertoire covering songs from musicals like Oliver, West Side Story and Carmen. They have performed all over the country and at international festivals too.
In 2006, the group performed in Johannesburg in South Africa. In 2007, the Operafest choir even performed for the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 tourism promotions in Beijing and with the Piedmont Choir’s Ensemble in San Francisco. Last year, they performed at the Mayor’s Reception for the Federation of Asian Cultural Promotion in Jeonju, South Korea.
Over the past few years, Kam has trained over 500 students. According to her, the obvious change is a transformation in their voice and confidence.
“New recruits are often shy and timid. But after going through all the choir exposure, they become more confident. You can ask them to sing anywhere now. They don’t have to take lessons from Toastmasters,” joked Kam.
She added: “Some students have potential waiting to be tapped. Singing is not included in the school curriculum so this choir serves as a good platform for those wanting to learn how to sing.’’
Choir member Tetsuo Takahara has been attending Kam’s singing lessons for three years. According to him, being part of the choir has polished his vocal skills and boosted his confidence. According to the 15-year-old whose mother is Malaysian Chinese and father, Japanese, being part of Operafest has also taught him about team building.
“Since joining the choir, I have had the privilege of travelling internationally for performances. When abroad, we have to work together as one big family whereby the older members (like myself) look after the younger ones. It builds our sense of maturity and responsibility.
“Singing in this choir has been great and I believe youngsters with an interest should join in the fun,” said Takahara, who has travelled with the choir to the United States, China and South Korea.
Operafest’s One Bow Wow, One Heart takes place today and on Sunday (8.30pm) at PJ Live Arts Centre, Jaya One, Section 13 in Petaling Jaya. Entry by a minimum donation of RM30. For details, call 03-6081 5781 or 017-636 8830 or browse www.operafest.net.
RSS
