Sunday July 10, 2011

Loud and lively tour

It is a sweet homecoming for United Kingdom-based music student June Gan who will be touring her hometown of Kuala Lumpur with her schoolmates from the prestigious Wells Cathedral School (Wells) next week.

The students are coming at the invitation of Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra conductor Kevin Field.

An accomplished trumpeter, the 18-year-old June and her troupe will be performing concerts at Bentley Academy and Petronas Philharmonic Hall on July 15 and 17 respectively.

Also on the itinerary of the group of 21 brass musicians and percussionists are master classes and music workshops.

The students are being accompanied on the tour by some of the UK’s most inspirational teachers, including Wells’ head of Brass, Jazz and Commercial Music Paul Denegri, who will be giving brass master classes at the Catholic High School; and Wells’ head of Percussion, Jayne Obradovic, who will be giving percussion master classes at Bentley Academy during the tour.

The students rehearsing before their tour to Malaysia.

Wells’ director of Music, Dorothy Nancekievill, who will also be travelling with the students, will be visiting the Alice Smith School and the Ann Perreau Studio, where she will be running auditions for future entry to the school, together with Wells head, Elizabeth Cairncross. There will be a limited number of scholarships available for prospective students.

There will be a workshop at the Ann Perreau Studio on July 16, where there will be brass workshops and concerts, followed by a Wells roadshow for prospective students and their parents.

Later that evening the musicians will be performing two short recitals at the British High Commission, where there will be a reception in their honour.

Besides their musical commitments, the group will visit the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park in the scenic Lake Gardens, Chinese and Indian temples, and spend a day at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, Pahang.

June, who has studied at Wells for the past five years, said she was hoping to sneak in some time amidst the busy schedule to give her friends a tour of Kuala Lumpur. She added that she has valued her experience at one of the only four specialist music schools in Britain.

“Wells is an amazing school – wonderful musicians and such a friendly, happy place to live. I have loved every minute of my time there and am really going to miss it when I leave for university in September.

“I have made many fantastic friends and been given some great opportunities,” she said.

Many of the musicians on the tour currently perform with the British National Youth Wind Ensemble and the British National Youth Orchestra.

Some of them have also won scholarships to some of the leading music colleges, including The Royal Academy, The Royal College of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Trumpeter Tom Harrison said he was looking forward to his first visit to Malaysia.

“This is going to be such an amazing opportunity to travel halfway around the world to experience a different culture and collaborate with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra,” he said.

Head of Percussion Jayne Obradovic said, “We have had many talented musicians from Malaysia, and in particular from the Ann Perreau Studio, at Wells over the years, and I am still in touch with lots of them.”

“It is wonderful to be able to visit Kuala Lumpur, meet up again with Kevin Field, and be able to make some personal contacts with the next generation of talented musicians,” she added.

The students will arrive in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

Wells is set in the heart of the historic city of Wells in Somerset, and is one of the oldest schools in the UK, dating back 1,100 years.

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