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A MUSICAL JOURNEY OF KUEN CHENG CHINESE ORCHESTRA

n this wonderful evening of 13 July 2019, Kuen Cheng Chinese formed a dialog in a musical context. The beauty and diversity of the
OOrchestra held their highly anticipated 30th anniversary oriental instruments shone through in the buildup of the musical
concert, entitled 卅 (sà), which means ‘thirty’ in English. As every climax which resolved into a grand and spectacular ending.
note of the night filled the air, it struck the hearts of the audiences
with passion and hard work, evident of the sacrifices made by the After an intermission, the Chinese Orchestra once again showcased
team of performers and helpers alike. their versatility by playing an arrangement of Rolling In The Deep
by English singer, Adele as well as a medley entitled E Generation
Since its founding, the Chinese Orchestra has held eight major concerts. Fever. The latter formed a string of old school songs Odyssey, I’m Still
The talented orchestra took part in many national competitions and Young, I Do and Blue and White Porcelain.
did performances for various festive events nationwide. The current
coaches cum advisors, Mr. Steven Goh and Mr. Chong Koi Min first Strolling down memory lane, the orchestra took a stop at one of the
got involved with the Chinese Orchestra two years ago, in 2017 and most important chapters of the Chinese film industry. The impactful
have since contributed tremendously in maintaining the standard of theme from the movie Our Times, A Little Happiness was introduced.
the orchestra. This movie and its music took the world by storm for its light and easy
beat as well as its touching lyrics. The sweet music complimented by a
The night was unveiled with Train Toccata, composed by Liu Yuan clip of the movie successfully evoked tears from some of the listeners
and arranged by Giang Yin, the performance was presented under the across different generations.
masterful hand of junior coach Mr Chong Koi Min. Throughout the
piece, echoes of a train chugging along its tracks could be heard. The The concert wrapped up with the first movement of Ode To The Sun-
distinct sound and tone quality of oriental instruments were cleverly The River Crossing. This piece was taken from the modern symphony
arranged and layered to paint a lively picture of a real, moving train. A Ode To The Sun which comprises four movements composed for a
whistle was used to imitate the horns of a traditional train which left Chinese Orchestra. This tense and anticipating piece had certainly
the audience with a fresh experience. kept the audience at the edge of the seat as the different tones meshed
together to imitate the sounds of wind and a gushing current.
Next, the GEM medley was introduced, under the baton of a student
conductor. GEM is a renowned artist from Hong Kong who became Unknowingly, the concert came to an end. The audience surely enjoyed
an even bigger sensation after having covered various pop songs themselves but they wished for more, soon the crowd started a chant
on hit reality show, ‘I Am A Singer’. This carefully arranged medley for an encore to fill their desire. Indeed, dessert was served in the
consisted of Tornado, You Are Not Truly Happy, I Like You, Being form of a whimsical composition, The Typerwriter, which is a piece
and Intoxicated. originally written for a philharmonic orchestra by Leroy Anderson
and later arranged for Chinese Orchestra. It started with the players’
Following the earworm of a medley was a Suona Concerto with club roleplaying as office workers who then started throwing paper planes
alumni Tang Yi Qwan on solo suona. Visuals of a blue sky and greener as work ended. A rubber chicken was smartly used to provide a
fields were floating above the minds of the listeners, with the suona comedic effect in the midst of the musical passages revolving around
in all its glory. Although the wind instrument is always dubbed as love, constancy, joy and perseverance.
being too noisy or annoying like its western counterpart, the trumpet,
Yi Qwan had successfully executed the piece of challenging music to The concert was a heart-winning success and it captivated the attention
bring out the true beauty of suona. of the audience who gave their loudest applause in return. This concert
was evidence of the constant hard work, effort and burning passion Jointly reported by:
The elegant side of the suona was met with the colourful Guandong put into making beautiful music which had touched the hearts of Isabel Goh Ern Zi Sr1ScB
Overture, under the baton of senior coach, Mr. Steven Goh. many that night. The orchestra boldly broke free of the stereotypes Tan Yi Khai Sr1ScD
Reminiscent of lively streets filled with stalls selling exotic products placed upon them and oriental music, perfectly showcasing their Thow Myra Jr3M
and floating lanterns, this piece of music depicted the interesting scene young and talented musicians, capable student conductors, versatility
in a northern Chinese city. The different sections in the orchestra and creativity on that special night which had only left the audience
were given solos and took turns replying to musical phrases which longing for more.

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