KUALA LUMPUR: A charity concert in aid of legendary musician Ooi Eow Jin will take place in Petaling Jaya on July 19.
Themed the Petaling Jaya Concert In Aid Of Ooi Eow Jin, it will be held at 5.30pm at MK Joyworks Recital Hall, 3 Two Square, Jalan 19/1, Petaling Jaya.
Organising chairman Lai Mei Kuen said the concert would feature Malaysian musicians Ngoh Ea Son, Wong Zhu Shi and Raymond Wong, as well as Tomonari Tsuchiya from Japan and Roeland Duijne from the Netherlands.
“The programme includes works by Beethoven, Chopin, Massenet and Kreisler among others,” said Lai.
Once the head of the RTM Orchestra, Ooi who is also an accomplished pianist is now 77 years old and suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Ooi has been the resident pianist at The Majestic Hotel in Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin here, until June 30.
During his long music career, Ooi supported his two sons through their education until both graduated from university. Unfortunately, his second son died of leukaemia, and today his elder son is suffering from a brain tumour.
“Eow Jin has done a lot for Malaysian music and culture, and we need to help him in times of difficulty. We hope Malaysians will lend a hand, in recognition of his immense contributions to the nation.”
Ooi who hails from Penang once toured the country with the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee and also recorded music with Datuk Sudirman Arshad.
He was roped into the RTM Orchestra by another legendary musician, the late Alfonso Soliano in 1963.
Soliano groomed Ooi to become the orchestra’s senior arranger and gave him opportunities to conduct concerts.
Ooi was with the orchestra for two decades, moving to TV3 in 1986. He composed and arranged music for the private TV station until 1999.
It was Ooi whose arrangements for the songs Cabaret and Big Spender helped Sudirman win Bintang RTM and become a star. He also wrote Sudirman’s first hit single Teriring Doa.
Ooi’s notable compositions include Masa Berlalu (Salamiah Hassan), Lagu Untukmu (Dahlan Zainuddin), Kasih Gadis Sepi (Yunizar Hoessein) and the soundtrack for Yasin Salleh’s 1981 movie Dia Ibuku starring Datuk Sarimah Ahmad and M Jamil.
Tickets to the charity concert are priced at RM50 and RM100. Call 012-335 9028.