LONGSTANDING Malaysian drumming ensemble, Hands Percussion, is set to end the year with a grand symphony of drums.
Set to take place from Nov 30 to Dec 3, RhapsoD will be staged at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre's Pentas 1.
"The 'D' in RhapsoD means drums and dreams. For the first time, our professional percussionists will be performing with current students from the Little Yellow Flower Foundation and the Hands Percussion Academy (HPA), as well as former students who now professional performers from DeafBeat.
"Taught by our professionals, this is a platform on which our young students can truly showcase the 24 Festive Drum skills that they have learnt, as well as learn skills that are needed to stage a performance on a big stage and work with a team of professionals to achieve a common goal.
"RhapsoD aims to help our students realise that they can achieve a common goal through patience, hard work, a lot of give and take and commitment," said Hands Percussion founder, Bernard Goh.
Featuring performers from young kids and teens to adults, RhapsoD will present traditional and contemporary drumming, percussions and the gamelan through new and existing compositions.
"Whether you've been a professional percussionist for years or a little drummer as young as eight, whether you're juggling multiple roles or facing physical limitations, we firmly believe everyone deserves their moment in the spotlight.
"Much like life's challenges, we may not always know where our efforts will take us, but we give it our all.
"What we're grateful for is that drumming knows no boundaries and it connects us all," he said.
Goh added that the intention was to uncover fresh and young talent, as well as inspire new audiences.
The programme for the drumming concert will include six distinct works.
"Grandir, which is French for grow, is a new composition by Olivier Tarpaga, Zamzuriah Zahari, Jimmy Ch'ng and Jack Wan.
"Based on Senegalese rhythms and drumming style, featuring the djembe, it is choreographed to symbolise growth or change, it shows how exposure to the right elements and guided by the right hands allows a person, or something to become better, stronger eventually growing into a source of guidance or hope themselves," he said.
The next piece, Fruition, was first performed during Hands' 10th anniversary celebration in 2007.
"Back then and for the longest time, only our core team was able to perform this piece, but it is now time for our new trainees to take the helm."
Concurrent Double-Strike is an exploration of the sense of hearing, as well as of sight and movement, while The Taiko's Duel is a new composition featuring the Japanese taiko drums that embodies energy, movement, technique and attitude.
In Camaraderie With Elise, Hands' Tan Zhe Hao rearranges Beethoven's classical piano composition, Fur Elise, for the gamelan and mixes it with Teuku Umar Ilany's new composition, Camaraderie.
"Child Of The Earth will be the first-time children from the Little Flower Foundation and HPA perform on stage.
"After months of training both at Ulu Yam, Batang Kali and at our studios they are eager and ready to go.
"This piece was composed based on several basic 24 drum patterns and it's heartwarming to see that the spirit of drumming and the joy of music can bring people together," said Goh.
RhapsoD is supported by Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS) under Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance.
Tickets to the 75-minute show, priced from RM88 to RM288, can be purchased online via www.cloudjoi.com (No phone sales and over the counter sales. E-tickets only).
For more details visit www.klpac.org or WhatsApp +6018-227 7212.