Students from Lycee Francais Henry Fauconnier choir singing alongside the SDAR wind orchestra at the Saya Sayang Paris concert at ConnexionNexus, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur.
TWO schools celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and France through song and music.
About 50 students from Sekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak (SDAR), Seremban and 20 French students from Lycee Francais Henry Fauconnier, Kuala Lumpur performed a concert at Connexion@Nexus, Bangsar South in Kuala Lumpur.
The concert, titled “Saya Sayang Paris!”, was made possible by music teacher Najwa Halim, who speaks and loves the language and culture.
Assisted by music director Suhaimi Yacub who composed the music, SDAR’s wind orchestra and Lycee Francais’ choir performed tunes from both countries, ranging from songs made popular by Edith Piaf to Sheila Majid, Sous le ciel de Paris to Seringgit Dua Kupang.
Najwa, who also lent her vocals to some of the songs, said the concert was a good opportunity for cultural exchange.
“For many of the students, it was the first time they were working with a person of a different nationality,” she said.
SDAR saxophonist Adam Asyraf, 17, said the students were excited about the collaboration and surprised at the French students’ proficiency in Malay.
“I am proud that some of them can speak Malay very well. I am taking French lessons in school.
“We have been practising since the start of the year and I feel this concert is a great way to unite students of different nationalities,” he said.
Lycee Francais choir member Louise Boura said they were also excited about working together for the concert.
The main sponsor for the event was BNP Paribas.
Its chief executive officer Philippe Arroyo said the company was privileged to be able to invest in the next generation through the arts.
Saya Sayang Paris! was one of the many events organised in conjunction with Le French Festival 2017.
The festival is an annual event and platform to promote French arts and culture.
