Perak Community Specialist Hospital and Perak Academy hosted a fund-raising event featuring three Singaporean prodigies. The trio consisted of a pianist, a flautist and a tenor vocalist. They performed a repertoire ranging from classical to popular music on Saturday, December 29, 2018 at the Meru Eco-Village conference hall.
The concert marked their debut in Malaysia. Almost a hundred music lovers were in attendance. Among them were the State Assemblyman for Malim Nawar Leong Cheok Keng, Perak Community Specialist Hospital (PCSH) Chairman Dato’ Lee Hau Hian, Ipoh City Councillor Chan Kok Keong and PCSH Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Chan.
The show began with an opening piece that set the mood for the evening – Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 by Rae Yu. This was followed by vocal pieces from Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48 and Britten’s The Ash Grove by Corey. Flautist Yi Ting blew it away by performing famous Hungarian folkloric pieces such as Viitorio Monti’s Czardas.
The trio eventually combined by performing, in complete synchronisation, three pieces consisting of ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables, ‘Cinema Paradiso’ from the very-famous movie of the same name and two Chinese numbers.
Without a doubt, their preparation in developing a diverse musical programme – one that really tested the boundaries of their own abilities – was evident as their experience in the international stage proved paramount.
“It’s so refreshing to hear these young children invigorate our souls this evening,” said the emcee, Dr Ramanathan Ramiah at the closing of the event. “We thank them for this performance.”
Performers’ profiles:
Pianist Pung Rae Yu, 15, from a Singaporean-Australian background has performed at many international competitions such as the VII Budapest International Chopin Competition (2018), the XXI International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth, the Chopin Memorial Prize, Hong Kong’s International Piano Open Competition (2017) and the “Developing Young Artists Award” scholarships. She won a prize at each competition.
Tenor vocalist Corey Koh, 16, is not only the youngest but the second person to be admitted, by invitation, to the National University of Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Music Conservatory. He is a student of renowned Professor Alan Bennett and has attended Master Classes in Germany by famous Soprano Christa Lehnert. He has travelled all over the globe and sung in venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Marina Bay Sands Theatre, and at churches in Prague, the Bangladesh National Theatre, Germany and Mexico. Koh is fluent in many languages including Latin, Italian, French, German, English and Chinese. His list of songs for the night included Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48, Handel’s Where’er You Walk to pieces by Malaysia’s own composer, Soon Siew Chong.
Flautist Ong Yi Ting, 15, has won accolades in several international competitions in Greece, USA, Hong Kong, Paris, Russia and Singapore. She won first prize at the 11th International Russian Rotary Children Music Competition in Moscow as well as top spot in Symphony 92.4 FM Young Talents 2012. Like her counterparts, she too has performed in numerous countries. Her highest achievement includes being the soloist of “Moscow Virtuosi”, a State Chamber Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Spivakov in 2013.
Jack Foo
