COME Sept 7, three talented singers from Borneo — Marsha Milan Londoh, Velvet Aduk and Alena Murang — will perform at the prestigious Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP), accompanied by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO).
The trio have been invited to perform there at a concert titled "Sounds of Borneo".
They will be belting out songs from Sabah and Sarawak.
As this concert marks their debut performance there, the three singers say that it is a great honour and privilege to be given such an august platform, and that instead of just performing trendy music, they feel proud to be presenting songs from their home states.
For 38-year-old Marsha, this will be another achievement, which is a totally new experience compared with what she has done since becoming a singer in 2005.
Although Marsha has created a name for herself in Malaysia's mainstream music scene, to be performing songs and music that are distinctly from the state she is originally from, at an exclusive venue right in the heart of the capital city of Malaysia, is something out of the ordinary.
While local music fans (especially those from Peninsular Malaysia) are familiar with her pop songs such as 'Cinta' and 'Bimbang', a few years back, she took the risk to record a few Sabah folkloric songs with fellow Sabahan, Velvet.
In 2018, the duo released the single 'Sumandak Sabah', which became a hit, especially back home.
The following year, they recorded and released 'Oi Gaman'.
In retrospect, when presented with an opportunity like the upcoming concert, all the hard work and effort they put into recording those songs are indeed the icing on the cake.
According to Marsha, a chance like this, in which singers from Borneo get to simultaneously entertain and educate the audience about their rich culture and heritage, is invigorating.
"This is a dream come true, to be performing at DFP, and, on top of that, to be collaborating with the MPO!
"We're beyond thrilled thinking about this concert.
"As this will be our debut performance there, we also have this responsibility to present what Borneo has to offer musically.
"It's like being little diplomats to showcase our heritage to fellow Malaysians," said Marsha enthusiastically.
"When Velvet and I embarked on our first venture (of recording 'Sumandak Sabah'), it started off as a fun project.
"Something like indulging in a hobby, if you will," she recounts.
"But when it was well received, especially by people in Sabah, it didn't take long before we prepared for another single.
"We felt it was our responsibility to contribute to our heritage. At the same time, this was our chance to expose our cultural music to the people in West Malaysia."
Marsha said it was exciting and educational for them to dig deeper into Borneo's cultural treasure trove.
"What we have recorded so far is only a small part of Borneo's folk music."
Hobbyist project gets a big boost
Marsha's fellow Sabahan and folk music duet partner, Velvet, said she had never dreamt of being offered such a huge opportunity as this, let alone to perform folk music from Borneo.
"As our initial project could be considered a 'hobbyist project', little did I expect the result would be this.
"So can you imagine how nerve-wracking this is for me!"
Putting the jitters aside, the 37-year-old admits that she is thrilled to be given this chance.
"Although I'm a little under pressure, the sheer joy of getting this platform is undeniable.
"Having said that, I'm excited to see how it (the concert) will turn out, as the prestigious orchestra will accompany us.
"I want to see how the arrangement turns out with the orchestra.
"This is simply because most folk music from Sabah and Sarawak would sound similar to one another.
"You listen to one, you can almost say you have heard it all!" she quipped.
Jokes aside, Velvet said while most folk music from Borneo usually had a joyous and festive mood, this concert would elevate it to another level.
"Frankly speaking, we expect that the concert would even surprise us all.
"Imagine, when we began our folk music project, it was almost a spontaneous effort, with a limited budget."
Although they are both from Sabah, Velvet and Marsha haven't been on the same stage for a while now as the former is now based in Sabah, and Marsha is in Kuala Lumpur.
Taking the sape further
Equally thrilled about the upcoming show is Alena.
Hailing from Sarawak, she is an accomplished sape musician in addition to being a singer.
The 35-year-old artiste hopes to carry on her mission of introducing the sape to a much bigger audience, and this time to fellow Malaysians.
"I'm sure many people would want to know more about this instrument and Sarawak.
"The challenge for me is to bring it to a more mainstream platform, and not just as a tourism product.
"I believe that the sape can be more than just a music instrument used in tourism promotions or advertisements.
"We can make it more commercialised, use the music or sounds it produces in songs you listen to on the radio like other pop tunes."
She also hopes to penetrate the mainstream scene without changing her music just to follow the demand or trends.
"I play classical sape music, and refuse to play contemporary music on the instrument.
"However, I'm open to combining the classical tune and pop genre," said Alena, who is from the Kelabit tribe.
On being part of the concert, Alena said she dedicated this achievement to other sape players, adding that this would pave the way for the music to reach a bigger audience.
"I believe the orchestra will complement the music from the sape nicely."
MPO head of business and strategic relations management department Effendy Khalid said the concert by Marsha, Velvet and Alena would create an impact on the local music scene.
"While classical melodies and arrangements are our expertise, putting on a show combining that with Borneo folk music would be a challenge we would like to take on, with the MPO to be led by conductor Luqman Aziz.
"It has always been our aim to provide and support all music genres from this country. And this concert proves just that."