Gallery
12th Guitar Camp 2010
12th Guitar Camp
Documenting the camp in Photos
by
Leong Yee Hoo
Day 1
This year’s guitar camp is different in that, we had to book a different hotel as we were beaten off in the booking of Shahzan’s Inn. Puncak Inn was the alternative as we had a look at it last year and
thought that it might be good. After all, the manager at Puncak Inn knew us well as she was managing our camp at Shahzan’s Inn before. The hotel was faiirly new and the rooms did not have a musty smell but the water heating system had problems. There were complaints of having to shower with cold water!!! This hotel is ill-equipped to handle such a large group, grappling to provide us with the necessary facilities. The shower problem we highlighted was never resolved. The most unhappy part was the food! To quote some examples: the chicken was really tough, the fish was not fresh, the vegetables were badly cooked, and worst of all was – there was not enough food to go round! Being buffet-styled, there should be plenty of choices but sadly, that was not the case.
As the hotel does not have a ballroom and the hotel manages (I presume) the Fraser’s Hill Community Centre, we held all our activities there. We had requested for hot water to make drinks and we got it, but the hot water became cold very quickly as it was not provided in an electrical container that could reboil the water automatically. Our previous hotel provided such a facility, which speaks a lot for the hotel! It is too bad that the manager was not able to look into this little request despite having managed our camp 3 to 4 times before! Our President had to step in to make complaints to the manager and ended up quarelling with the cook! The cook had overheard the complaints and didn’t like his ‘culinary skill’ criticized. First and foremost, ‘customers are always right’ is a maxim that people in the services industry have no choice but to accept. If they are not able to provide the service, then they will have to put up with the complaints that will come from dissatisfied customers. Unfortunely, the manager said that they had tried their best and that we were too demanding, instead of apologising and improving themselves!!! Excuse me, this is a resort! How does Fraser’s Hill hope to be a world-class holiday resort with this sort of service!?
The only two good points noted for this hotel (besides having rooms that are not musty) are:
1. the Community Centre Hall has superb acoustics and is excellent for holding our concert.
2. The atmoshere and picturesque environment are really enticing.
5th Guitar Alive 2010
Documenting the Photos
by
Lee Ji Xuan / Simon Cheong
Guitar Alive was an idea brought about to provide students of the guitar an opportunity to perform in public as an ensemble. It offers many advantages for the students learning, namely, the experience of performing, learning to play together as a group, meeting new friends, etc. If a student has taken part with the right attitude, the wealth of experience and learning is indescribable.
As for the teachers involved, Guitar Alive provides an activity to look forward to in the year. Choosing and gathering the students to take part may be a task for the teacher as this require time and effort. The timing and venue for practice – with some coming for the practice and some not turning up for one reason or another…yet!…the teacher has to make sure he is available! The teacher is giving not only his time but will be teaching the ensemble and not getting paid for it! All done with the love for our beloved instrument and students. It is a labour of love, putting in the extra effort yet having to endure the setbacks of unwilling students and/or parents who do not understand. Well, fret not, as in the end, fulfilment in this endeavour when they finally see their own students on stage would make them beam with pride. More so when some students come running after the teacher to say what an experience they have had! All this work is also necessary for the individual teacher to do his or her part towards the industry as a whole, creating enthusiasm and interest, the very sustenance of the music profession. Not least is the relationship they have built with their students.
For the music schools which encourage their students to take part and provide them with a place for the teachers to have their ensemble practices – Thank You! Thank you for your support and understanding. Apart from the music schools’ yearly concert, we provide an extra activity for the students – helping to create enthusiasm and interest. This creation of enthusiasm and interest, the very core of the music industry provided by an independent group of professionals from the Society, merely enhances and not competes. No hidden agendas and whatever problems that may arise out of our activities are accidental and not preconceived. The Society corrects and make amends as we go along, making sure that there will be no conflicts of interest and whatever we do, we do for the betterment of the classical guitar in Malaysia. With this understanding, we hope that the music schools will put aside competitive business practices, which is necessary for businesses, BUT, not towards the Society. Please, provide us the support that we need. In fact, make our activity your activity. In Guitar Alive, if a representative of the music school can be present, we would like to invite this representative to give out the certificates and announce this honour to the audience (and on these web pages). The names of the music schools (in the case of a private guitar teacher – the guitar teacher’s name) is also printed on our certificates of participation.
For those who would like to take part and have no contact with us, unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate an individual without permission from your own guitar teacher. So, the best possible way to participate is to get your guitar teacher or music school to get in contact with us. We do welcome the teachers and music schools to take part.
Participation in Guitar Alive 2011(usually in August/September), will require the teacher/music school to prepare an ensemble of 6 or more players. We recommend a minimum of 6 in the ensemble as there will be 3 to a part, if the ensemble is playing a duet OR 2 to a group if the ensemble is playing a trio. To play a quartet, 8 is a preferable number with 2 to a part… I will leave the math to be figured upon… The teacher will need to provide a practice place and time once a week for at least one month if the ensemble is playing easy pieces (2 or 3 pieces is best if the pieces are not very long and the students are proficient). Teachers and students who have taken part usually take much longer than a month to prepare. Some form an ensemble that practices throughout the year! How much preparation is needed will depend on the individual teacher – such as how much time and effort he/she is willing to give or can give. Further details can be obtained from us to clear whatever doubts the music school/guitar teacher may have. Just get in contact with us.
For Guitar Alive 2010, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the music schools for the use of their premises for the practice sessions – YC Music Sdn Bhd, Sonata Music and Art Sdn Bhd , Metro Music and Art , Victoria Music Academy; Viva Music Studio, Seanly Music and Art, Pusat Music Fortepiano, Pusat Music Desa Jaya, VE Educational Centre, Sri Irama Sdn Bhd, ABRSM Music Centre and UiTM.
Tribute 2010
Documenting the Photos
by
‘Sonata’
CGS International Guitar Festival & Camp 2010
‘Tribute’
featuring
See Sew Hong, Pongpat Pongpradit, Ernest Thomas and Alessio Monti
8 December 2010, 8.00 pm
Tuanku Abdul Rahman Auditorium, Malaysia Tourism Centre, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Every year the Society will have a concert in Kuala Lumpur before going up to Fraser’s Hill for the camp. The concert in KL has its own title and the camp is the camp. This year we have renamed and combined both activities into CGS International Guitar Festival & Camp 2010 and we shall be doing so from now on.
‘Tribute’ as this concert is entitled is the Society’s heartfelt way of saying… a very big thank you to all our sponsors past and present as well as future sponsors who have helped us with our cause – to promote the classical guitar in Malaysia. Although we are thankful to all our sponsors, our President would like to make a special recognition to Mr. Daniel Chan of Mahogany, Madam Rachel Lui of Sonata Music & Art and Mr & Mrs Michael Ng for their unquestioning believe in what we are doing, and unwavering support for us without doubt, since we began these concerts five years ago.
We are really appreciative to these music shops for they have done their part in giving back to the music community as responsible corporate entities.
Other sponsors we would like to thank are Music Walk, Chambers Music, Guitar Store, Maestro Music Centre, Matic, Dutch Embassy and the Canadian Council of the Arts.
Apart from saying thank you to our sponsors, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our VIPs who have lent their presence to grace our concerts – Her Highness Princess Dara Naquiah; His Excellency, Mr Lody Embrechts, the Ambassador of Holland; Tan Sri Rashid Hussain and Datuk Victor Wee.
Here are some photos that were taken:-
Kuala Lumpur Guitar Ensemble II - Memories from Thailand International Guitar Festival 2010
Documenting the Photos
by
Simon Cheong
4 November 2010 – KL Guitar Ensemble II members were not on the same flight although the three of us booked our flights at the same time on three different computers…! Well, I got booked on the early flight while Ernest and Sew Hong were booked on a later flight. Since we were booking online and paying by our credit cards, it only made sense that we paid our flights individually as our individual credit card would have separate insurance coverage and in case of any problems, we could deal with them without any fuss.
The festival was held at Phranakhon Grand View, situated in the historical setting of Thailand’s first Teacher’s Training Institute, Rajabhat Phranakhon, founded by King Rama V in 1892.This is the same place where the Bangkok International Guitar Festival 2009 was held and which we played in last year.
5 November 2010 – This day started with the first round of the open section of the competition followed by lunch in the university’s canteen.
6 November 2010 – This day started with the juniors category A (under 12) and category B (under 16) competition, which then moved on to the finals of the open category.
After the competition, there was an afternoon of masterclasses with Enrique Munoz but we had to practise and prepare ourselves for the concert at 5 pm., so back to the hotel …The festival officially starts at 5 with a series of concerts that lasts till 8.30 pm.
KLGE II was scheduled to play at 5.15 pm and we got ourselves backstage by 4.30 pm. But we got on stage for our performance at 7.15pm as the organiser had some problems and had to reschedule us. We did not mind the rescheduling so we said OK. Well, we did regret saying that as waiting backstage was really trying especially when one is geared up for the performance already. We must admit that when one goes out there performing one has to be ready for all kinds of things happening and yet be professional and give your best…
