The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:32 AM PDT

The Phil not only provides a musical outlet for Malaysians – it also aspires to present quality music events like the upcoming Heart & Soul charity concert.

MONDAY is a terrible day. The weekend feel-good fuzzies are fading and the realisation that you are back to the daily grind is starting to sink in. Luckily for the choir members of the Philharmonic Society of Selangor (Phil), they've found a way to beat back the Monday blues.

"I look forward to our practise sessions on Monday nights. There's nothing like a bit of song and dance to start your week right," said Catherine Kong. Newly-married couple Kong and Matthew Chong, both 29 years old and fans of singing, joined the Phil in early January looking for something fun to do together.

These Monday night sessions will culminate in the upcoming charity show Heart & Soul, July 22–24, at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), an event that will feature a healthy dose of pop music from the 1960s through to the 2000s.

"The Monday night sessions are hardly something new. That's the way it's been for as long as I can remember," said Tengku Musinah Daud. And she can certainly remember back a long way, having been a member of the Phil for the last four decades.

The 67-year-old reminisced with a sly grin, saying she had first been introduced to the choir back in the 70s.

"I'd just returned from Australia and was looking for a new music scene to jump into when this gentlemen introduced me to a few members of the Phil, promising it'd be good fun. He was right and I've been a member ever since," she said.

Secondary school student Kaiyisah Shahari agreed, saying everyone could do with a little Glee in their lives.

"Everyone loves music here and it's great how we can just burst into song. If I tried that at school, my friends would all laugh at me," said Kaiyisah, blushing slightly.

"A few of my schoolmates are in the school choir and they tend to perform newer music, like songs by Lady Gaga and Christina Aguelera," she paused to shudder, "and Ke$ha."

"I prefer it at the Phil as there's a wider selection of music with both new and older songs," said the 16-year-old. Growing up with her music-crazy brothers, Kaiyisah picked up on a lot of songs a typical teen girl wouldn't normally try.

Phil choir director Cheryl Teh, 39, said she always makes a point to keep the selection of songs current. "For our Heart & Soul concert, the choir will be performing three medleys of songs by Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees and the Beatles.

"I'm really impressed by the choir. Between the three medleys, they have to memorise nearly 44 songs and then there are the dance moves too!" said Teh, with the sort of pride a mother has when putting a perfect-score exam sheet on her fridge for all to see.

"The choir used to just stand about and sing like a traditional choir. To shake things up, I've got them to do away with the music sheets and start dancing a little. It may not be as complex as the Glee club's moves on TV, but I make sure the choir does the most they can," said Teh, laughingly gesturing with an imaginary whip.

"Cheryl's no slave driver. She's actually really nice, unless we chatter too much during training. Then she shouts at us," said Tengku Musinah, with mock fear in her voice.

Chong said he was a bit worried when he joined the choir as most of the members were women at first. Luckily for him, the gender ratio quickly evened out as the membership grew from 60 last year to the current 200.

"I'm a bit shy when it comes to dancing. My wife wants me to be all macho and groovy, but I'm not sure I have it in me," groaned Chong. Kong assured him that dancing boiled down to confidence, which she was sure he had plenty of.

"He may act like he regrets it, but he secretly loves it," said Kong, laughingly adding that they usually end up singing in the car all the way home after practise.

Around 130 members of the choir will perform the two-hour programme which will also feature Barry Manilow's One Voice and Enya's May It Be from The Lord Of The Rings movie soundtrack.

"Even with so many members, we try to have everyone get to know each other. In addition to practises, we have the occasional club night. It's like a potluck, but with singing!" said Teh.

She added that membership tended to fluctuate between seasons, but members were dedicated enough to stick with the choir until they had performed their show.

Teh said: "They are a very committed to making the show happen and have managed to keep up with the extra training sessions I've piled on. Now we're so close to the finish line, I've asked them to come for a full day practise camp on the weekend."

True enough, more than 100 choir members attended the camp at the Australian International School Malaysia two Sundays ago ... ready to sing, dance and thrill its audience!

> The Phil's Heart & Soul Charity Concert will be staged at Pentas 1, KLPac, July 21–24 at 8.30pm (with matinees on July 23 and 24). The concert aims to benefit a number of locally-based charities including All Women's Action Society (AWAM), the SIC–PIHD Children Learning Centre (For the Poor) and Hospis Malaysia. Entry is by invitation only. To obtain invitations, call 012-213 9333 or e-mail pssrsvp@gmail.com.

Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 13 Julai 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan