Jointly reported by:
Lim Lok Yee Jr2Z2
Chloe Chan Po Yi Jr2S3
Soon Yu Xuan Sr2ScJ
On the 10th of June, Kuen Cheng High School Guitar Club held an online concert via video streaming platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Zoom. Though the concert was held during the school holidays, many students in Kuen Cheng made the effort to watch it live.
Before the concert started, the emcees, Yee Ling and Wen Qi welcomed all that tuned in to watch the program. During the introduction, they cleared up the common misconception that most people have, which is that guitars can only be played individually, not in a group. In actual fact, guitars can also be played in a band! So, their current coach introduced them to guitar ensembles.
Emcees
The concert started with a bang as the emcees enthusiastically introduced the first performance of the day, the “Legend of Ashitaka”. They also informed the audience that this song was very special as the Club performed this very tune at the Saigon International Guitar Festival in 2019. This tune also got them the Consolation Prize that year, what an amazing feat!
“The Legend of Ashitaka”
The concert continued with “Fireworks of Stars”, performed by Linh Chi and Yan Yu, followed by an ensemble of “Naruto Main Theme”, a soundtrack from Japan’s popular anime Naruto and later Hebe Tien’s “A Little Happiness”, performed by alumna Mandy Hu.
“A Little Happiness”
The performances came to a halt as one of the emcees interviewed a club member, Lee Swan Yin on her guitar journey. The first question was: “What inspired you to pick up the guitar and start playing?” She shared that she first got introduced to guitar when she saw a guitarist playing while singing in a music programme on television and thought that playing the guitar looked very cool. Soon after, she went online to buy a guitar and thus started her guitar playing journey.
“How did you feel after you got to experience playing the guitar?” Swan Yin shared that she thought it was very new at first, but soon after she realized that it was not as she expected it to be. The guitar was not tuned properly and she was a total beginner, so she did not realize whenever it was out of tune. She started self-taught and later went to a real guitar coach to learn more. “How long did it take you to practice Cavatina and Tango en Skaï?” Swan Yin responded to that question, saying that she took 3 to 4 years for Cavatina and 1 to 2 years for Tango en Skaï.
The interview ended with that question and the emcee welcomed her to the stage to perform her two songs, Cavatina and Tango en Skaï. During the performance, each note was executed to perfection, you could see the amount of effort put into practicing.
Cavatina and Tango en Skaï
The concert moved on with Ah Niu’s popular song, “Peach Blossom”. The two club members, Kai Xin and En Ze performed this song in a lighthearted and cheerful manner, creating a joyous atmosphere. The joyful performance ended quickly, and proceeded with a live duet of “Visiting Hours”, performed by club members Jing Fei and Mei Qian, as well as a performance of a mashup of Jay Chou’s hit songs, ”Won’t Cry” and “Love Confession”.
Visiting Hours
A short intermission was carried out, allowing the club members to have a break. After the intermission, the concert carried on with an ensemble, “Música Latina Fácil”, which consists of four parts: Danza Maya, Bossa do Brasil, Cuna Cubana and Tango Argentino. The part that the club members chose to perform is the third part, which is Cuna Cabana. Cuna Cubana has a tango-like tune, which leans towards a more Argentinian and Uruguayan style. “Música Latina Fácil” is a very meaningful song for the members of the Guitar Club, as they performed this piece in the Saigon International Guitar Festival in 2019 as well, winning them the Consolation Prize. They also performed this piece in the 6th Hong Kong International Music Competition in 2021 and won the Runner-up for the high school category.
Música Latina Fácil
The concert then continued with Japanese guitarist Masaaki Kishibe’s “Drifting Clouds”, performed by Lim Wai Sheng, who put up an amazing guitar fingerstyle performance. After it ended, it was followed by a soulful performance from two guitarists, Gerald Chin and Allan Khoo who duetted “Suddenly Missing You So Bad” by Mayday.
Drifting Clouds
Suddenly Missing You So Bad
After those performances, the concert continued with a solo guitarist who is also a School alumnus, Low Wei Chuan. He performed Kotaro Oshio’s Overdrive with much passion and energy. “Overdrive” has a rock-like trait to it, so it definitely livened up the mood.
Overdrive
Last but not least, the concert wrapped up with a live band performing the song “Paradise has no Border”. The performance was a great way to spell the end of the entire concert.
Paradise has no Border