Joe (right) and vice-chairman Gerard (third from right) with Penang Arts Council members at the press conference announcing the upcoming gala dinner themed ‘A Night at the Opera’ on Oct 25 at E&O Hotel in George Town.
THE Penang Arts Council (PAC), an NGO championing culture and creativity, will be celebrating its 70th anniversary with a fundraising gala dinner.
This will be held at the grand ballroom of Eastern and Oriental (E&O) Hotel in George Town on Oct 25 from 6pm onwards and is themed “A Night at the Opera”.
Guests will be taken on a curated journey through some of PAC’s most notable opera productions, previously staged not only in Penang but also Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Expect well-loved arias and ensembles from La Traviata, The Magic Flute, The Mikado, The Merry Widow, Carmen and Turandot, as well as a surprise on the night.
PAC vice-chairman Gerard Chan said it was to celebrate the enduring cultural legacy the organisation had nurtured for generations.
“During opera’s heyday in Penang in the 1980s and ’90s, we had productions yearly. This served as a springboard for talents, many of whom have gone on to build distinguished careers on stages worldwide,” he said at a press conference at the hotel.
A collage of the artworks that will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Penang Arts Council.
This time, the stellar line-up of performers includes vocalists Peter Ong, Tan Jin Yin, Wong Jun Wen, Wilson Loh Titt Tze and Chaing Yi Ling leading the Fiamma Opera Studio ensemble.
Joining them will be Valentino Loh Chun Han (piano), Gray Chan (bassoon), Esther Tee (flute), Dennis Kong (clarinet), Ryan Lim (oboe), Benjamin Ng (alto saxophone) and the jazz band Cores Conversa.
Gerard said PAC hoped to raise at least RM50,000 from the event.
“This will fund PAC’s cultural programmes for 2026, aimed at making the arts more accessible to the community.”
He said it would include the Peranakan Festival, which was last held in 2021, as well as various new opera productions and visual arts exhibitions.
Another highlight of the gala dinner is the exclusive Art Auction featuring works by well-known artists, said PAC chairman Joe Sidek.
Among the artists are Alex Leong, Lee Joo For, Lee Eng Beng, Tan Choon Ghee, Chan Tat Wai, Da Niu, Foo Hong Tatt, Jason Min, Kek Hoon Pin and Wang Xiao Ling.
Many of the pieces in the auction were donated by Datuk Dr Tan Chee Khuan of The Art Gallery, Penang.
Certain pieces are open for pre-dinner online bidding via links on PAC’s social media page (www.facebook.com/penangartscouncil).
“Some are rare, such as Choon Ghee’s painting done during his travels in Europe in the 1970s, which predate the Penang street scenes he was most famous for,” Joe highlighted.
Tickets for the dinner are RM300 each. One can also sign up as a life member and enjoy the special member price of RM250 per person.
Alternatively, there are VIP tables for 10 people priced at RM6,000. To book, visit shorturl.at/zI0di
