Love affair with Cantonese opera

GOOD CAUSE:The Yin Ngai Musical Arts Association is staging opera performances this weekend to raise funds for charity

IN a room tucked away behind the high walls  of an unassuming house in Jalan  Gasing, a group of 12 amateur Cantonese opera performers and musicians have been carrying out their practice sessions for almost two years.

The Yin Ngai Musical Arts  Association members  spend four hours on Saturdays and  Sundays  to perfect their vocals, acting skills and music.

This Saturday and Sunday, they will take centre stage at the PJ Civic Centre  Auditorium in Jalan Yong Shook Lin.

The "Yin Ngai Heart2Heart Charity Night 2012" is the association's  eighth charity show.

Since its  inception in 1994, the association has raised more than RM600,000 for charity.

The association's treasurer Anne Wong said the proceeds  from this weekend's performances will go to SRJK (C) Kota Emerald  Rawang, Hospis Malaysia, Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merit Society  Malaysia Kidney Dialysis Centre and Ti-Ratana Welfare  Society.

"We will  not take a single sen from the proceeds.

"Some of us buy our own costumes, others  rent them. Money for  everything, from  hair decorations to  make-up,  come from the pockets of our performers."

There will three-hour performances on each night  which start at 7.30pm.

"We will perform  eight Cantonese  opera excerpts," said  Wong.

The titles featured   are White Dragon Pass, Rendezvous At The Pavilion,  Love At A Posthouse, Farewell At A Riverside Pavilion,  Tik Ching Battles Three Passes In The Night, Taming of  a Princess, Story Written In Blood and Star-crossed  Lovers. There will be English subtitles.

"Besides doing charity and  entertaining the audience, we hope the show will bring  out the traditional art form, capture a new audience  and ignite the interest of the younger generation," said Wong.

She said  English-educated people showed  more interest in Cantonese opera than those who were Chinese-educated.

"I can't read Chinese. In fact,  half of our association members do not read Chinese. But  over the years, we learnt to recognise the characters.

"I rely on my friends to teach me the  right way to pronounce the Chinese characters, sing, project feelings and  act," said Wong.

The performers are accompanied by musicians on bowed and  plucked strings, percussion instruments and flute led by musical  director Yong Wee Hong.

The performances are under the direction of well-known  director Liang Congfeng from China. The artistic  adviser is Cantonese opera diva Dr Hong  Xiannu.

"Our objective is to promote the Chinese operatic arts,  stimulate interest and awareness and raise funds for  charity,"  said association president Gan Yap Siow Chan, 79.

"We are privileged to have  Dr Hong and Liang to mentor and guide us."

She said she caught   the Cantonese opera bug when she  was a schoolgirl but  her parents wanted her to  concentrate on her studies.

In  the 1990s, she learnt to sing Cantonese opera at Chin Woo Association, which led to the setting up of the  association.

"My son said: 'Why don't you stage a  performance since you like it so much?'

"So, I thought,  instead of just performing, I might as well do it for charity  as well.

"We are glad  that we have been able to raise a lot of money for charity. We do everything ourselves, from promoting  the shows to selling the tickets.

"It is our love and respect for Cantonese opera that drives  us. We still come together and sing on  the weekends when we do not have to perform charity  shows."

Her daughter, Gan Wah  Ee, has inherited her passion for Cantonese opera and plays  male roles.

Tickets are by donations of RM200, RM150, RM80 and  RM30. VIP seats, starting from RM2,000, RM1,000 and  RM500 are also available.

For details, call Wong at 019- 230 3382, Felicia Yap at 017-252 2618/03-2148 3573 or  Lim at 012-313 0107/03-2163 1668.

Anne Wong (left) acting as a female general while Gan Wah Ee takes the role of a prince. Pix by Yong Chee Choong

Musicians playing traditional string instruments.

A romantic scene.

Half of the members of Yin Ngai Musical Arts Association are not Chinese educated.

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