PROUD LOT: Chin (right) and Sape (third left) and other members showing their ‘Special Performance Award’ at Shanyin Music Centre, located at King Centre in Kuching.
KUCHING: Members of Malaysian Shangyin Chinese Chamber Music Orchestra are ecstatic after receiving invitations to perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival and the Borneo World Music Expo next year.
The group has made the nation proud by winning the prestigious Special Performance Award at the just concluded 8th National Performance by the Yangtze River Delta Region Orchestra (China’s National Folk Music Festival) in Ruguo City, Shangai recently.
The music festival was jointly organised by Shanghai Musical Association and Jiangsu Province Ruguo City People’s Government.
A spokesman of the seven-member orchestra, Albert Chin, said the two invitations meant that their recent stint at the China’s National Folk Music Festival in Shanghai had not gone unnoticed.
“We feel great after receiving the two invitations. It’s a great honour actually.”
He added that the invitation by Singapore City Chinese Music Orchestra had made them very excited…they would be given a second chance to promote the state’s music overseas.
“These two musical festivals would provide us an opportunity to explore more from musicians around the world,” said Chin, adding that they hoped to pass the audition for the Borneo World Music Expo.
Another member, Eugene Kuek, who played the Sape and has been nicknamed ‘Sape’ by his close buddies, could not believe that they had been invited to perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival.
“To me, it’s a dream come true. I’m lost for words,” he said.
Kuek, of Chinese and Orang Ulu origin, has been playing the instrument since his teenage years. The group has been invited to perform at the Singapore City Chinese Orchestra on Jan 27, next year.
The orchestra also has a plan to cut their first album in Singapore soon with the help of two well-known music composers Phang Kok Jun and Dyan Ng.