POPULAR singer Anuar Zain has been in showbiz for a long time.
But the 53-year-old crooner of hits like Bila Resah, Keabadian Cinta and Sedetik Lebih was floored when he was invited to sing at a concert featuring a group of schoolgirls from the Seri Puteri Symphonic Winds (SPWinds) orchestral group.
"I'm excited since this will be my first time singing at a concert accompanied by only wind instruments.
"When my team and I got to know more about this orchestral group, we were surprised by their achievements.
"In fact, I believe the group and the school (Sekolah Seri Puteri, a government-funded residential school) should be recognised by the authorities for having won numerous awards at music festival across the globe," he said.
Inspired by the talent of the young musicians, he said, "I had goosebumps when I first heard them play live".
"And when they play, you can hear that they do so with passion. With such heart and soul in their performance, it's no surprise that such music could easily capture the attention and entertain the audience."
Anuar added that he was surprised that the country had local gems like SPWinds.
He said the authorities should make an effort to highlight more groups like this to provide them exposure and to enlighten more Malaysians about their existence.
"Amazingly, these are not typical full-fledged musicians, they're still attending secondary school at that," said the bedazzled singing sensation.
Anuar will perform as a guest artiste at the Flourishes '23: Symphonic Gala Concert tomorrow night at Panggung Sari, Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur.
"I'll be performing three songs with them," he said.
The concert is hosted by the school with support from the Education Ministry and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
It will see SPWinds perform various pop, classical, traditional, symphonic, opera and Broadway tunes.
The event is for the school and SPWinds to raise funds for the orchestra to participate in the 2023 Golden Sardana International Orchestra Festival And Competition in Barcelona, Spain, which is scheduled to take place from Sept 12 to 17.
It aims to raise RM900,000 to cover the cost of the trip to the famous northeastern Spanish city.
SPWinds is an award-winning symphonic wind orchestra established in 1976.
Acknowledged as a School Of Global Excellence by the Education Ministry, SSP is a leading school in the country with an extensive list of academic achievements and outstanding attainments in other activities on the global stage.
SPWinds has won several awards and prizes at international music festivals and concerts.
SPWinds has had the privilege of performing at world renowned venues, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, United States, and at the Golden Hall Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
Tickets for the concert, priced between RM168 and RM468, can be purchased at www.myticketempire.com/flourishes23.
All proceeds will be channelled to SPWinds. For enquiries, call Ms Hawariah (019-259 1724), Ms Shahriyah (019-435 2090) or email spwinds@seriputeri.edu.my.