JOHOR BARU: YOUNG musicians from the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) entertained students from EduCity Iskandar Malaysia in the MPYO classical music education outreach here recently.
The MPYO features the brightest young local music talents who can perform a repertoire of music from various genres.
Founded in 2006, the young talents are nurtured under the tutelage of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s resident conductor and in-house musicians.
The tour and outreach trip here has allowed the musicians to share their love of music with the community and students through live performances and demonstrations.
Besides the tour, MPYO organised music camps four times a year that culminated in performances held in five cities in West Malaysia in 2007, Sabah and Sarawak in 2008 and Penang and Kuantan in 2010.
In 2009, the MPYO gave sold-out concerts at the National University of Singapore and performed in Brisbane, Australia, as part of an exchange programme with the Queensland Youth Orchestra in 2012.
“We want to show youths that it is possible to make music a career,” said the MPYO head Ahmad Muriz Che Rose.
Ahmad said the MPYO provided training, exposure and a platform for talented young people to excel and become full-fledged orchestra members.
He extended the invitation to youths in the audience who were passionate about music and had a minimum grade 5 in music to audition.
Groups representing Newcastle University, the University of Southampton, Multimedia University Nusajaya, the University of Reading, Netherlands Maritime Institute, the Raffles American School Nusajaya, Management Development Institute of Singapore, Raffles University Iskandar and Marlborough College Malaysia also attended the event.
Also present were students from local schools such as SK Medini, SM Medini, SM Tun Fatimah and special students from Community Rehabilitation Centres or Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PDK) for mentally challenged children.
Members of MPYO, aged 18 to 28, performed in separate sets in string quartets and the jazz ensemble. Their musical showcase demonstrated that the musicians were versatile performers as they played pop, jazz and rock music.
Ahmad said the audience was rewarded with MPYO souvenirs when they answered quiz questions correctly.
The jazz ensemble dedicated a popular Malay song, Gemuruh, to special children.
At the end of the performance, groups of children were invited to the floor to take part in the Chicken Song.
Led by members of the MPYO, they had a fun time doing the actions.
“Music is great for holistic development and we hope the orchestra’s passion for music will inspire youths here including students at EduCity, to pursue a career in music,” said EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director Joanne Jacinta Oei.
“We are happy to support the development of the region’s youths by hosting the Johor leg of the MPYO’s education outreach programme at the EduCity Sports Complex.
The outreach programme here also included a community event at Pertubuhan Kebajikan Insan Istimewa Johor welfare home in Taman Iskandar and two nights of performances entitled Malam Melayu Klasik with the Johor Heritage Foundation orchestra and its Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia.
The MPYO continues to encourage young musicians to appreciate orchestral music and to build a pool of well-trained Malaysian instrumentalists, community and professional performers, teachers and inspired amateurs.
For details about auditioning for the MPYO, visit www. mpo.com.my