FOR the first time, Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) has invited a reputable high school orchestra that has been going places for a performance in its annual DFP Seni Festival.
The festival spans three months and features outstanding, diverse local talents in music and the performing arts.
The Jit Sin High School Chinese Orchestra from Bukit Mertajam, Penang will kick off the festival with a 90-minute performance at 8.30pm on July 20 at DFP in Kuala Lumpur.
FIFTY YEARS OF MELODIES
The orchestra's veteran conductor, Lim Soon Oo, said in a recent interview at DFP that they were celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and were honoured to perform in this most prestigious local venue.
"The Jit Sin High School Chinese Orchestra has stood resolute and soared to great heights in all its five decades, fostering musical talents and also preserving the tradition of Chinese folk music," he said.
Lim added that the orchestra which has performed almost annually in China since 2005, and has also toured Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea has 300 members, but only 90 will perform on that evening.
"We've got 23 male and 67 female musicians and they are all aged 16 and 17, students of the school.
"We've been rehearsing since May, but we took a break in June for the students to concentrate on their examination. Rehearsals resumed in July," he said.
Lim said that their concert will be a freshly-curated programme, and its nine songs will include several Malay classics such as 'Serampang Laut', 'Tudung Periuk', 'Puteri Bersiram', 'Pasir Panjang' and 'Lancang Kuning'.
"These are timeless tunes that are seldom performed these days. I played them during my days with the National Symphony Orchestra more than three decades ago and still love them," said Lim, adding that he strongly believed in cross-cultural performances.
"If lion dance troupes can be fully Malaysian in their compositions, Chinese orchestras like ours can be fully Malaysian in our music too."
Lim always encourages his orchestra to play different types of music and to "step out of their comfort zones".
"We may be a traditional Chinese school orchestra but we do not confine ourselves to traditional Chinese music. We play all sorts of music including Western popular music and Malay traditional music."
The DFP concert is the orchestra's second major concert for the year. They had held one on April 1 in Dewan Sri Pinang, George Town.
"That was a dinner to mark the retirement of the school's principal," said Bukit Mertajam-born Lim who has headed the orchestra for three decades and was once a student of the school.
Apart from the Malay songs, the orchestra will present Chinese traditional songs under the theme of 'Dialogue Of The Songs Of Chu'.
This comprises songs such as 'Dream Of The Red Chamber', 'Peninsula Charm', 'Song Of Chu', 'The Legend Of The Wind Lion God' and 'The River Of The Orient'.
MUSICALLY GIFTED
The concert will also feature erhu player Tan Rou Yee and cellist Lim Sing Yee.
"We will be performing in Shanghai, China in November. And since Form Five students have their exams, we only take Form Four students to overseas concerts," said Lim who studied conducting in London and art management in Beijing, China.
Lim's long-term plan is to get all orchestra members, old and new, to perform at a special concert for their alma mater.
"It's not easy to get everyone together, but that's an idea I've always held dear. I've met former students of the school who played with the orchestra over the years and they had this same idea too," said Lim.
Sing Yee, who learned the cello at 13 under the guidance of celllist Lim Soon Huat, subsequently studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
She made her debut public performance in 2017 at the Penang Music Festival, and in the same year she performed alongside the Shanghai Cello Orchestra in Shanghai.
Last year she performed in renowned pianist Lang Lang's Wenzhou New Year Concert with the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Rou Yee learned the erhu in 2004 at the age of 13 under the guidance of music maestro Lim Soon Lay while studying at Jit Sin High School.
She became a conductor and in 2020 helped her orchestra win Best Team at the 16th Ethnic Music Festival in Jiangsu, China.
A Shanghai Conservatory of Music graduate, she also performed at the Central China Conservatory of Music and Tsinghua University last year.
Besides the school orchestra, the festival will also feature traditional Malay theatre 'Mek Mulung Puteri Cahaya Bulan' on July 27 and 'Randai Mudo Pak Belalang' on Aug 10.
Visit www.dfp.com.my for more details.