Education

  Star Education Fair

Sunday November 12, 2006

Perfecting performance skills

BY TAN SHIOW CHIN

THE Chopin Society of Malaysia firmly believes that Malaysian musicians have what it takes to make their mark on the international music scene.

As such, one of the goals of this five-year-old society is “to support promising and talented young Malaysian musicians in fulfilling their career aspirations.”

Says president Tunku Munirah Tunku Mustapha: “We want to encourage young Malaysian pianists and musicians.

“They're always so focused on exams, but being technically good is not enough – they need exposure and encouragement to further develop themselves.”

The society believes Malaysian musicians are lacking in performance skills.

The society's press and media liaison Mansor Abdul Aziz (left), Alissa and Tunku Munirah enjoying Prof Panovka's impromptu performance.
Committee member and co-founder of the society Prof Snezana Panovska says: “Today, everybody is awed by people who play fast and loud – that is not music.

“Musicians have to do more. To be a proper performer, you need to be independent, portray feelings and manage yourself well.”

To this end, one of the society's main activities is organising recitals for promising young pianists to gain experience.

Anyone is welcome to audition for a place in the recital, though they are expected to be of a certain proficiency level and should be able to play from memory.

Once a student is selected, they go for a master class to help them prepare for the recital.

Vice-president Datin Alissa Fitri Hisham says: “We don't want to be perceived as elitist. Most of our performers come from middle-class families.”

She adds that the last concert the society organised at the Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur, in April was a full house with 12 young pianists showcasing their skills.

As the society is voluntary and non-profit organisation, Alissa says they are looking for more corporate sponsors to help fund and provide venues for the recitals.

“We don't pay the performers as we feel that they should perform for their own experience and benefit, but we do provide some refreshments for the audience and we need venues for the performances,” she adds.

She says they formed the society in honour of Polish-French composer Frederick Chopin because his compositions for the piano are “among the most technically demanding for the instrument.”

As part of an international network of Chopin Societies in more than 60 countries, the society also seeks “to provide a platform for intercultural and international exchanges through music-related activities.”

One of the ways they hope to accomplish this is through the organisation of the Asean International Chopin Piano Competition.

Held once every three years in conjunction with the Asian International Chopin Piano Competition, the second edition attracted more than 90 participants from countries in the region.

The participants, who are divided into 10 categories, will be competing for a chance to represent their countries in the eighth Asian International Chopin Piano Competition in Japan in January.

Says Tunku Munirah: “Five top Malaysian performers represented the region at the Asian level of the first competition in 2004 in Japan.

One of them won the silver award.

“Therefore, this competition discovers and prepares young Malaysians for international-level contests.”

An international panel of seven music professors will judge the participants, who include musicians from Uzbekistan, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.

The competition will be held from Nov 28 to Dec 2 at Panggung Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur.

Those interested in attending the competition performances or finding out more about the society's activities can contact Cheng Yen Yee at 012 665 7863, or email
chopinmalaysia@yahoo.com

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