Strong showing: (from left) Tan, Chua, Lee and Goh made themselves heard at the jazz festival.
AS he stepped onto the stage as a contestant at the Malaysian Jazz Talent Competition recently, Tan Jin Weng was inwardly battling stage fright.
It was his first time taking part in the competition and he was still getting used to performing before an audience.
But any trepidation the UCSI University Institute of Music student had felt evaporated the moment he began his performance, which saw him being named champion at the event hosted during the Malaysian Jazz Piano Festival (MJPF) 2022.
Making his win even more memorable was the joy of seeing his coursemates Celine Chua, Lee Pin Wei and Goh Zhi Wei placing second, third and fourth, respectively, for their performances at the grand final held in June.
On his achievement, Tan said, “I’m really happy and quite surprised at the same time. I didn’t think I would win as all the other contestants were extremely talented and they played really well.”
“As coursemates, we know what each of us can do. We practised really hard and brought out the best in each other. I wish there were more than three spots on the podium,” he added in a recent press release.
Tan’s performance, which won over the judging panel comprising some of Malaysia’s best jazz performers like Michael Veerapen and Tay Cher Siang, was anchored on an original composition entitled “New York Attitude” and a piece from the Malaysian Real Book entitled “New Joy”.
He took home a cash prize of RM500, a medal, a certificate and jazz music books.
Having taken to music from young, Tan, with the backing of his parents, enrolled as a music student when it was time to pursue his tertiary studies.
“I had always wanted to pursue music seriously and I’m thankful to be exposed to jazz music from day one at UCSI.
“The who’s who of contemporary and classical music teach here. I learn so much from master classes conducted by famous jazz musicians like Veerapen, and my adjunct lecturer Ch’ng Wee Lern inspires me,” he shared.
Tan’s win extends UCSI’s record of excellence at the MJPF – its alumni members Mohd Rashman, Alton Wong and Melvin Goh were named champions in 2020, 2017 and 2015, respectively.
Established in 1990, UCSI Institute of Music is ranked the world’s 19th best university for performing arts in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.
