IPOH: A song accompanied by the erhu (Chinese violin), double bass and bonang (small Indonesian gong) is not common fare in the entertainment scene here.
That did not stop Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)’s Chinese Orchestra Club, String Ensemble Club and Sanggar Kirana gamelan group from collaborating on a song called Little Emperor at The Grandeur 2023 concert held at the university in Tronoh on Sunday.
Originally composed by Teuku Imar Ilany Teuku Iskandar, the song was re-arranged to allow the fusion of various cross-culture musical instruments playing in harmony.
The Chinese Orchestra and String Ensemble also performed jointly on two other songs – the theme from the movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Fish & Begonia.
Project director Hayden Chin Haojun said the concert was the clubs’ first major event for the university community and public since the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the collaboration between three of the university’s arts and cultural clubs was a good opportunity to showcase their ability.
“The idea was mooted by the Chinese Orchestra music director Liew Soon Yee. The orchestra held a concert with the String Ensemble in 2016 and during the planning for The Grandeur concert, we felt that we should include Sanggar Kirana as well,” he said.
Chin said the aim was to promote unique elements from Chinese, Malay and Western culture and arts, serving as a platform for enthusiastic performers to cultivate their passion.
“Three of UTP’s arts and culture clubs came together after months of preparation to demonstrate their talent and musical prowess,” added the 21-year-old second year mechanical engineering student.
Chin said the concert also raised funds for the Chinese Orchestra and String Ensemble clubs.
He said due to the pandemic, multiple semesters of inactivity and lack of events had left the clubs in a “sub-optimal state”.
“In order to recover and restore the two clubs, additional funding was required. Both clubs being music-oriented, instruments are a major part of their operations. The lack of instruments has been a problem,” he said.
In most cases, Chin said members were completely unable to practise and had to take turns with others, making it harder to improve.
This reduced the overall proficiency of the orchestra, with existing instruments also requiring maintenance and repairs.
“To bring out the best performance, instruments have to be tonally accurate and in good condition. Without prompt action, both clubs stood to lose valuable and talented members as they were unable to practise and may have lost their passion for performing,” he added.
Chin said more concerts were being planned.
“The organising committee faced countless problems and challenges preparing for the concert but it managed to come up with solutions.
“I believe everyone learned a lot from this event and will take note of all the procedures in order to organise better concerts in the future,” he added.
At the start of the concert, UTP Centre for Student Development Talent Enrichment office manager Hellina Ahmad Kamil said the university aspired to produce all-rounded graduates.
“The concert empowers them to create something great. We also aim to cultivate arts and culture among our students,” she said.
The concert’s public relations department head Cheah Hao Yang said The Grandeur was a sell-out.
“We expected a crowd of 400 and we sold 410 tickets,” he added.
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