The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 15 Sep 2012 01:19 AM PDT Vocal powerhouse Cecilia Yap is set to entertain Malaysian audiences with her beautiful singing. THE term "opera singer" or "classical singer" conjures images of stately men or women, dressed in tuxedos or elaborate gowns, standing in front of an accompanist or a small ensemble, illuminated by a single spotlight and belting out impressive notes from a timeless repertoire of songs. More often than not, such people are stereotypically of Western origins; European, most likely, and inaccessible. This is where Cecilia Yap steps in to buck the trend. Hailing from Ipoh, Perak, Yap is as Malaysian as they come, and currently teaches and promotes classical singing, with a particular interest in sacred works. However, next week, Yap will perform a solo show, accompanied by Italian maestro Maurizio Colaccichi at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur. Yap's interest in singing began when she was 15, after watching her friends perform on stage. She said that back then, she would "scream at home, even though I couldn't reach the high notes – I just screamed! "I had very good teachers, though, who were very serious and brought out sound quality," says Yap in an interview. Her pedigree in singing is as pure as it comes, having been trained at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, by luminaries of the opera world such as K.S. Ann Saldarelli, Lorraine Nawa Jones and Marcello Ferroni. "I arrived in Italy with no (knowledge of the) Italian language at all, and felt I had nothing to lose," Yap recalls. "It was important to get back to the root, where the idea of vocal training began, and this was in Italy." Her father questioned her decision to venture into singing, preferring that she studied something more conventional and secure such as hotel management in Switzerland. She replied that if she failed the audition in Rome, Switzerland was just "next door"! Fortunately, she passed her audition and was accepted into the Conservatorio. What followed was years of rigorous training in technique and theory, with exams and tests held at various intervals where no second chances were given. To progress, one had to pass each benchmark; otherwise, it would have been time to go home. Yap felt very confident, partly because of her teachers. "My teachers were very helpful and inspiring," she reveals. Her fifth year was the most difficult due to the oral exam as it was in Italian, but she had garnered enough proficiency of the language to see her through it. After she was done with her formal training in 1991, Yap decided to stay on in Italy. Six months after graduating, she gave birth to her first child. In spite of the challenges she faced in a foreign country, Yap pushed on with her singing and even won a singing competition. A few years later, she was offered to sing in a show called Hansel And Gretel in Penang. The part was written for a mezzo soprano singer, but that did not stop Yap from returning to Malaysia and taking the job. It led to several more operas with the Penang Arts Council, and her career grew further with stints in Singapore, singing with The Singapore Lyric Opera and the Singapore Hallelujah Oratorio Society. She also performed with the Jakarta Festival Chorus in Indonesia. Today, Yap focuses more on working with students in classical vocal training. However, she feels it still important to keep on performing in order to maintain that critical edge in ability. The very name of her upcoming show evokes the two prime concepts that drive her as a singer. Sole E Amore literally means "sun and love", which brings to mind ideas of "life and passion, and life itself is centred around love and passion," Yap shares. Yap feels that there are music students in Malaysia who are still quite close-minded. She explains that some local music students tend to only see or hear music that is relevant to their studies. She thinks, however, that an appreciation for a wider range of music is important. She hopes that a lot more people will attend her upcoming show, simply to broaden their musical horizons and, in particular, to experience how a simple instrument like the human voice (plus a solo accompanist) can be dramatic and dynamic. The Sole E Amore concert represents a rare chance for Malaysian music fans to experience the artistry of two world-class musicians who are recognised leaders in their field, one of whom happens to be a homegrown talent. In addition to the concert, Yap will also be serving as Maestro Colaccichi's translator during a series of workshops scheduled to be held after the concert in the Klang Valley. ■ Sole E Amore is on Sept 22, and will be held at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly in Kuala Lumpur. For enquiries and ticket details, contact Samuel Lim (016-219 9328), Ashley Tan (019-278 8497) or Bee Lian (03-227 46645). Meanwhile, the Vocal Masterclass with Maurizio Colaccichi is on Sept 24. For details, e-mail viva.opera@gmail.com. |
| Lady Gaga launches 'very slutty' first perfume, 'Fame' Posted: 14 Sep 2012 10:04 PM PDT Lady Gaga launched what she called her "very slutty" first perfume with a performance art event in which she slept for party-goers in an egg-shaped capsule in New York's Guggenheim Museum. Called Lady Gaga Fame, the perfume is the first from the flamboyant pop superstar and comes in a black liquid that turns clear once it is sprayed. "I wanted it to be a very slutty perfume. Because that is sort of the addictive nature of fame that it is, it is seductive," Gaga told "Good Morning America" in an interview broadcast on Friday. The "Born This Way" singer told the breakfast TV show she wanted a fragrance "that was desirable, and which is quite nice for not only just, you know, a young girl like me, but for any woman that wants to go home to their husband and lay down and feel like a queen." The New York-born singer, 26, officially launched the fragrance with a "Sleeping with Gaga" event in which she lay inside a huge black egg-like capsule at New York's Guggenheim museum on Thursday while invited celebrities and media looked on. She later had a tattoo artist ink a cherub onto the back of a freshly-shaved portion of her neck. Gaga also released a five-minute promotional film in which she appeared clad head to toe, including hair and face, in black, and that ended with tiny figures of men in bondage wear crawling over her naked body. Gaga, whose stunts have included wearing a raw meat dress and setting her piano on fire, made headlines last year for saying she wanted her perfume to have notes of blood and semen and that it would be suited to "a expensive hooker." As it turns out, the ingredients on the bottle are listed as "tears of belladonna, crushed heart of tiger orchidea with a black veil of incense, pulverized apricot and the combinative essences of saffron and honey drops." On Friday, the Grammy-winning musician told "Good Morning America" that it was "a sexy fragrance." "It's for someone that wants to seduce someone. You shouldn't wear it if you're not likely to look for a lover, because it's going to attract them," the singer said. Lady Gaga Fame is made by Coty Inc and was released worldwide last week.- AFP |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Music To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan