Get classical! MPYO musicians get together online for a hand-washing video tutorial

A screenshot of Sonia Croucher (bottom row, middle) and members of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra performing British composer John Hilton's 'Come Follow' in the hand-washing tutorial video. Photo: MPO

Living in the shadow of Covid-19, we are advised to constantly wash our hands to prevent the spread of disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is best to wash them for at least 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

If you want something different (say, a tune with seven flute players), the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra has the thing for you. It recently created a whimsical hand-washing tutorial video set to the music of Come Follow, a tune by British composer John Hilton.

The video can be viewed on the MPO’s Facebook and Instagram pages. It features Sonia Croucher, an MPO member on flute/piccolo, along with Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) members Tan Wei Harn (piccolo), Alwin Wong (flute), Lawrence Chiu (alto flute), Bonnie Kong (piano and flute), Wong Xue Fen (piccolo) and Chew Sze Gee (flute).

The video is part of the "MPO At Home" series.

“Staying at home is restorative, peaceful and gives extra time to focus on elusive tasks. The hardest feeling is the separation of colleagues and especially students who were looking forward to the MPYO camp. Wanting to keep our special bond and stay motivated, now is the perfect opportunity to ‘bring us all together’ and keep our enthusiastic team spirits high," reads a Facebook posting on MPO's page.

Due to the Government's movement control order, the MPO has postponed its entire programme in April, including shows such as Pastoral Landscapes (April 4 and 5), MPO Chamber Concert (April 7), With Love, Bizet (April 11), Luminous Elegance (April 12) and MPO & Aishah - A Musical Journey (April 18).

The public who have bought tickets to any of these shows have three options. They can exchange their tickets for an upcoming MPO concert with comparable ticket value, donate their ticket to Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) for a donation receipt, or keep their ticket for a new date for the postponed concert.

More info: mpo.com.my.