Photo courtesy of SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah via Bernama
SEREMBAN: The Noghori Arts School, based at SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah here, made history by winning the Duo Singing category and Overall Champion title for the Music Band category at the 43rd International Folklore and Music Competition Prague 2024 in the Czech Republic.
The harmonious vocals and expressive performance of the song Mentera Semerah Padi by Jeszel Iskandar Mohd Azhar and Rayyen Fitri Syafiyudin, both 13 years old, won the hearts of the international jury and earned them the champion title in the Junior Duo Singing 1 category.
In the Music Band category, The Jang's, a group consisting of five students from SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah and one each from SMK Dato Haji Mohd Redza, SMK Dato Abdul Samad and Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak, aged between 13 and 16 years old, outshone 40 teams from around the world with their song Medley Gema Tradisi.
Muhamad Hazrin Ishak, a music teacher at SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah, said that the win was unexpected as it was their first time representing Malaysia in an international competition.
Hazrin said, "We prepared for about a month for this competition ... in August we won the national competition here, after which the Education Ministry offered to nominate us for this (Prague) competition."
Hazrin shared his excitement at the victory, considering the high-calibre teams participating.
"It is an honour to represent the country on the world stage. This success is the result of the students' hard work, dedication, and intensive training as well as assistance from various parties, especially the Negri Sembilan government.
"This victory will certainly be an inspiration for other students to excel in the field of arts and culture,” he said.
The 43rd International Folklore and Music Competition Prague 2024 took place from Dec 11-21 at Radiopalac, Prague, Czech Republic, and apart from the music teams from schools in Negri Sembilan, the competition also saw participation from several other Malaysian schools in other categories.
SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah principal Nor Hayati Abdul Rahman expressed her pride and appreciation for the team’s success in bringing glory to the country and hoped for more such victories in the future.
"We succeeded in going to the international level and winning, thank you to all the students and teachers who trained them.
"Moreover, the Nogori Arts School is just a year old since its establishment. My hope is to see our participation in all fields including theatre, dance and visual arts on the international stage.” – Bernama
