Vocal feast from Dama

A FESTIVAL which offers concerts as well as a singing competition is rare in Malaysia. In fact, organiser Dama Orchestra claims it’s a first for them and the country.

Billed as Dama Vocal Festival 2008, this event is the well-known Chinese orchestra’s annual concert offering. It gave us Butterfly Lovers, September Tale and Spring Kisses Lover’s Tears, to name a few, over the years.

To be held at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre in Sentul Park from Oct 30 to Nov 2, Dama’s artistic director Khor Seng Chew says the festival will offer leading local professional singers a platform that’s shared by Dama’s unique musical sensibilities.

“It’s a coming together of a common aspiration. The concerts will offer operatic arias and classical songs, musicals, Chinese classical songs, folk songs and popular oldies or evergreens on different days,” says the 52-year-old pipa (Chinese lute) maestro.

The singers are sopranos Phoon Sook Peng, Khoo Hooi Lay and Angel Lee with tenor Armando Chin Yong.

Phoon studied at Trinity College of Music, London, Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the Hochschule fur Musik in Dresden. She was based in The Netherlands, where she was associated with the Netherlands Opera. She returned to Malaysia in 2000 and worked on several Dama projects, including the Spring Kisses Lover’s Tears album.

You will enjoy Phoon’s vocal talent on all four of the concert days.

Khoo studied at the Detmold Musikhochschule, Germany. A former grand champion in the Malaysian Classical Singing Competition — a rare honour shared by Dama’s principal soprano Tan Su Suan — Khoo has also won prizes in singing competitions in Australia and Asia as well as performed solo in Madame Butterfly and The Fiery Angel, among others.

Lee is a veteran recording artiste in Malaysia. To date, she has five solo albums to her credit while her debut album won AIM accolades. Noted for her expressive vocal interpretation, Lee has won many awards in singing competitions in Malaysia and abroad.

Chin Yong took up advanced vocal studies in Rome, Italy, before working at the Dresden National Opera House. While in Europe, he won numerous prizes at international singing competitions, with critics hailing him as an outstanding and promising young tenor.

For the Oct 30 concert featuring Western Aria And Classical Songs, listen to Nessun Dorma (from Opera Turandot), Caro Nome (Opera Rigoletto), O Sole Mio and Die Forelle (German art song), among others.

On Oct 31, enjoy Think Of Me (from Phantom Of The Opera), Memory (Cats), Holy Night, and You Raise Me Up, among others, by Khoo, Lee and Phoon.

The Chinese Golden Oldies 3pm concert on Nov 2 will have the assistance of narrator Ian Ng, who has worked with Dama for the past 11 years.

An architect in private practice, he has guested in the TV3 sitcom, Getting Together, and appeared in James Lee’s independent film, Ah Beng Returns. Ng was last seen in Popiah Picture’s Ghost on 8TV.

The festival also sees the participation of the first and second winners of the National Singing Competition.

“If there is a first prize winner at all,” points out Khor. “We are quite strict about the standard. You must be good enough.”

Following international vocal contest methods, the contestants have sent in their videos and you can witness the semifinals and finals on Oct 25-26 at KLpac.

“The competition completes the festival. It will offer the younger singers the opportunity to showcase and judge for themselves their talent.”

He agrees that the competition will see more entries by Chinese singers as “almost every Chinese school in the country has a choir and an orchestra”.

“It’s the tradition of these schools,” says Khor a former boy of Bukit Mertajam Jit Sin Chinese School.

Khor recalls being drawn to Chinese classical music as a young boy while attending a national-type school. He joined a Chinese association to pursue his interest, before enrolling in the Chinese school.

“It was great for me,” recalls the musician who has been with Dama these past 14 years.

He believes the festival will draw all Malaysian music lovers because of the varied offerings.

“Those who like Western operas, and I myself am a big fan, will attend the Oct 30 concert while those who like the Chinese oldies can come on Nov 2.

“But many of us know these oldies even if we cannot understand the language. The songs are familiar to anyone who has lived in Malaysia for some time. They are part of our collective past.

“Come and listen, and you will remember these songs,” he adds with a gentle smile.



* The Dama Vocal Festival 2008 runs Oct 30-Nov 2 at KLpac, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan (off Jalan Ipoh). Tickets from RM52-RM152. Call 03-20940400/03-40479000/03-62019107/8 or visit www.damaorchestra.com.