(From left) UMW Toyota Motor president Ravindran K, UKM Industry-Community Liaison Office head Assoc Prof Dr Doris Padmini Selvaratnam, Prof Imran, Dr Jeyraj and UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman Akio Takeyama at the media briefing at Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
TOYOTA Classics returns to bring music lovers the best in classical music while raising funds for charity and deserving organisations.
Organised by UMW Toyota Motor and Toyota Motor Corporation, the annual musical charity event will feature the Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment from London on Nov 13 at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Kuala Lumpur.
The prestigious ensemble will be performing under the baton of conductor Steven Devine, who has performed worldwide as a harpsichordist, featuring British soprano Charlotte Beament, leader and violin soloist Daniel Edgar and violinist Kinga Ujszaszi.
This year’s proceeds from ticket sales will go to a socioeconomic programme involving orang asli community and a research on renewable energy efficiency by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) respectively.
Speaking at a media briefing, UMW Toyota Motor marketing general manager Mohd Affendi Kairon said they hope to touch more lives beyond the stage with music.
“Toyota Classics, apart from presenting world-famous repertoire and recitals, has also focused on raising funds for good community-based charity programmes.
“Since its inception in 1990, UMW Toyota Motor has supported 67 charitable and non-governmental organisations nationwide amounting to over RM8.6mil.
“These contributions represent our commitment to sustain our corporate citizenry efforts, which is one of the core values of our organisations.
“We believe that the two organisations selected as recipients for this year’s initiative will benefit from the funds raised to create a great impact to the society,” he said.
Through its “Mobilising Youth for Sustainable Change” initiative, UKM has developed an Eco-Village Resort project to uplift the socioeconomic status of the orang asli community in Kampung Kachau Luar, Semenyih, by utilising their skills and land to create a sustainable, eco-friendly business for them.
“The eco-village will be built on site, harnessing the skills and enthusiasm of the orang asli youth, UKM staff and students along with volunteers.
“The green technologies incorporated into the modular system by MCM GreenMan Group minimises impact to the surrounding jungle due to its minimum requirement for infrastructure.
“We hope this could be our pioneer project whereby the blueprint could be implemented throughout the country without needing to displace the orang asli communities from their jungles,” shared UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Imran Ho.
Meanwhile, a portion of the proceeds will fund UM Power Energy Dedicated Advance Centre (Umpedac) for research on renewable energy through the innovation of technology for Solar Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T) Cooling System.
“PV/T are systems that convert solar radiation into thermal and electrical energy.
“At the end of this research, we are expecting a PV/T system with flexible glass and EVA materials with improved efficiency compared to existing systems.
“Many parts of East Malaysia are still not electrified by grid, so by having this kind of technology, they will be accessible to constant electricity supply as well as hot water without extra cost,” explained Umpedac deputy director and Assoc Prof Dr Jeyraj Selvaraj.
UMW Toyota Motor has always viewed community-based activities as its core responsibility and as part of its overall objectivity of creating a closer rapport with the community.
“We strongly believe that we will be able to contribute further to this good cause, with the support of the generous Malaysian public,” concluded Mohd Affendi.
Toyota Classics 2018 tickets can be purchased from Box Office, Dewan Filharmonik Petronas for RM250, RM200, RM150 and RM100 while booking is available at toyota.com.my
