Gallery
9th Guitar Camp 2007
9th Guitar Camp ( 23-25 November )
Documenting the camp in Photos
by
Simon Cheong
Day 1
A day in the history of the society. This year is our 15th Anniversary as well as Malaysia’s 50th. This camp is the 9th and is the 4th consecutive camp since we started again in 2004.
23 November 2007 Day 1 – Departure – 8 a.m. Arrival, Registration and Lunch – 12 noon
Our morning on the 23rd of November 2007, a Friday, starts early as the bus gets ready to depart at 8 a.m..
23 November 2007 Day 1 – Getting-to-know-you Session – 2 p.m.
Well, this page is really loaded with pictures…so opening this page will be slow! I can’t help putting so many in as it is really great to see the campers having fun…
23 November 2007 Day 1 – Masterclass by Duolisme, Peter and Frank – 3 p.m.
Immediately after the ‘getting-to-know’ you session, we have the masterclass with our artistes-in-residence – here are those who played in the masterclass. After which tea is served as well as autographs are signed for those who bought Duolisme’s CD’s.
We seem to have two committee members who are not handling any groups!? Oh, it is See Sew Hong who is taking all these photos. Now, where is the person who organised these groups? Mr. Lee Thiam Foo…? Well, he is probably still organising the groups – some little participants seem to be running around here there – maybe to the toilet?
23 November 2007 Day 1 – Teacher’s concert – 8 p.m.
After the ensemble practice, we have tea and some free time before dinner. Having had our fill, it is now concert time!
This Teacher’s Concert is an indispensable part of the camp for a few reasons. Firstly, they are professionally guitar teachers and not performers, hence, this camp provides them an opportunity to test themselves on the concert platform. A test which they get only once a year as otherwise there are no other avenues for performance since they are very preoccupied with teaching. Secondly, this concert fulfils the society’s aims of providing a platform for developing Malaysians to international standards. Thirdly, it gives the students a chance to see their own teacher in performance. Jovy had good support from her students as she shared with me her experience since this is really her very first formal concert. Her students told her how proud they were of her despite her nerves that caused a few memory lapses.
Finally, for the participants, watching this Teacher’s Concert will help them to prepare for their own performance the next day.
2nd Guitar Alive 2007
Documenting the Photos
by
Simon Cheong
Last years Guitar Alive was in an informal setting, being held at the Amphitheatre in MTC. This year, we decided to hold it in a proper concert hall…Tunku Abdul Rahman Auditorium. Well, for those who took part last year, they all liked the idea of feeling like a professional whilst those who are new was taken aback by the ambience of formality and were awed!
As the organisers, we were really pleased with ourselves for organising this student ensemble concert so efficiently and everything had gone on without a hitch. More so when there was a 50 percent increase in the participants all enthusiastically and unnervingly cooperative. I, personally, am totally happy with the fact that I could record the whole event without any problems as well as being able to burn out into DVD without a hitch! For those who are wondering what the fuss is about… let me explain. I had always tried to get all the Society’s events documented but have been having problems with all the technical stuff like not having the right equipment for the job! Although, I did manage to have all the activities of the Society documented in one way or another, I could not burn out into CD or DVD properly without a lot of effort. Till today the past activities has yet to be done up. It is all saved up in a 300 gigabyte hard drive. With the right equipment, Guitar Alive 07 was recorded, saved, backed up and burned to disc without any problems for the first time! While the videos have no problems, our photos have much to be desired. Taking photos in an event needs the photographer to understand what is most important – not the artistry of photography but the chronological as well as to cover all aspects of the event in history (in such an event, no participant must not be left out).
Nevertheless, here’s our little story in photographs. For those who find their faces missing, my apologies but I have, after seeing the photos, told Sew Hong the problem. We are all still in the process of learning. Anyway, Guitar Alive 2007 started around 4.00 p.m. for the organisers and participants. We had to set up the stage, work out with the participants their order of appearance and presentation, all aspects that had to be taken care of… Here are some shots…rehearsal time…
Tanah Pusaka 2007
Documenting the Photos
by
Simon Cheong
CGS International Guitar Festival & Camp 2008
‘Tanah Pusaka’
featuring
Kuala Lumpur Guitar Ensemble II
Simon Cheong & Duolisme
Tuanku Abdul Rahman Auditorium, Malaysia Tourism Centre, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
‘Tanah Pusaka’ as this concert is entitled, was conceived as thoughts flowed through my head for presenting this concert. Lots of performers in the world were playing and promoting their own country’s music and I thought, why aren’t we? So I began looking around for Malaysian pieces for a guitar quartet… none! So, I decided to try my hand at making an arrangement. Well, since it is Malaysia’s 50th anniversary and this concert was in celebration of it, what better piece to choose than Tanah Pusaka! The society has published my arrangement and it is the society’s first publication as well as my very first.
I had intended to have Duolisme play as our guest for the night since we had invited them to our annual guitar camp at Fraser’s Hill. This is something that I had not done before for any of our camp’s artiste-in-residence – the lucky duo! And, since they are Dutch… I was approached by Ms Jacoba from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at Jens Rasmussen’s concert where I was invited to give a speech and my speech mentioned this concert, she asked me to contact the embassy for a collaboration. So, I did. Happenstance that the embassy was also celebrating their 50th year of diplomatic Netherlands-Malaysia relations…
