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13th Guitar Camp 2011 CGS IGF&Camp

13th Guitar Camp ( 9-11 December )
Documenting the camp in Photos
by
Simon Cheong

Day 1

As usual, we have two meeting points for pickup – one in PJ and the other in KL.

The bus in KL and the other in PJ. We can see Peng Yang and Jovy standing at the bus door waiting for the participants who have yet to turn up.

It is really great to have the participants all turning up on time and without any delay, we left on time.

This year there were no delays with everyone turning up on time and … no traffic jams! This year Fraser’s Hill opened up another road so there was no going up at odd hours and coming down at even hours – no more waiting at the Gap! All in all, a very smooth journey. We all arrived earlier than our usual time.

The participants lugging in their guitars and bags into Shahzan’s Inn. Here are Ernest and Felicia handling the registration.

Unfortunately, although we were all very early, the registration could not proceed smoothly as we had to wait anxiously for our Singaporean participants. Well, this year, 35 Singaporeans attended our camp. They chartered their own bus and were on their way up to the camp. I got to know later that they left Singapore at 4.30 am but they only managed to arrive at 1.30 pm, no thanks to heavy traffic caused by accidents! As registration was at noon, and the Singaporeans were still not in sight, Sew Hong called their mobile to find out their situation. Sadly, Fraser’s Hill has very poor reception, making it difficult for us to contact them. It was a huge relief when he finally got through and we knew they were fine but would be pretty late. Knowing that we could not wait for them as the rest were getting restless and hungry, we decided to carry on completing the registration exercise without the Singaporeans. We proceeded with the introduction of both our Artistes-in-Residence and the briefing of the camp rules to all the participants.

Here is Simon briefing the participants as well as introducing both the Artistes-in-Residence. Rafael Serallet (Spain) on Simon’s right and Manoon Ploypradap (Thailand) on Simon’s left…

Sonata 2011 CGS IGF&Camp

Documenting the Photos
by
‘Sonata’

CGS International Guitar Festival & Camp 2011
‘Sonata’
featuring
Leong Yee Hoo, Manoon Ploypradap and Rafael Serrallet
7 December 2011, 8.30 pm

Tuanku Abdul Rahman Auditorium, Malaysia Tourism Centre, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Our MC extraordinaire for the night – Mr. Ernest Thomas.
Leong Yee Hoo (Malaysia)
Manoon Ploypradap (Thailand)
Rafael Serrallet (Spain)
 
Presenting a token of appreciation for their splendid performance – Mdm Rachel Lui of Sonata Music & Art, Mr Simon Cheong, President of the Classical Guitar Society Malaysia and Mr Daniel Chan of Mahogany.
 
Here is a photo of our performers with both our sponsors and CGS  President
 
Apart from the concert proper photos above, let us look at some photos taken at this concert –
 
At the front desk – posing at our sales counter: The ladies hard at work selling Rafael and Manoon’s CD’s. Of course there were books with Savarez and Galli strings for sale too and lastly, pretty maids all in a row.
 
Sew Hong has been the official photographer for all the Society’s events because of his interest in photography. He has hardly any photos taken of him as he is usually the one taking the pictures. Well, this year on we have another camera to use and will help relieve Sew Hong’s work load. Here he is caught working hard…
 
The Society plays its philanthropic part every year for the needy and here are the Burmese underprivileged children. The society hopes to educate and inculcate the interest, appreciation and love for music in these children through exposure in these concert.
 
Here is Mrs Evelyn Cheong taking a picture with the Burmese children and with very important people who are there supporting and bringing help to these children. They have given the time to bring these children to the concert apart from their other wonderful deeds.
 
Some of the audience mingling in the foyer for refreshments and Simon speaking with Ratih Mita from Indonesia’s Prim Guitars and Harian Metro’s reporter Johari Esme
 
Here are the performers back stage preparing for their performance…with jitters!
 
Leong Yee Hoo with Ratih Mita and her staff from Indonesia and finally, Simon taking one final picture with the performers.
 
Having ended the concert which is the first part of CGS International Guitar Festival & Camp 2011, we will be leaving early Friday morning for Fraser’s Hill for the second part – the 13th CAMP! Camper’s we will meet you there…

2011KTJ IYGF

Documenting the Photos
by
Simon Cheong

The festival was conceived by the Festival Director Encik Sazali Abdul Majid as a celebration in conjunction with Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar’s 20th anniversary.

I met Sazali in November 2010 at the Thailand International Guitar Festival 2010 in Bangkok where I was performing with Kuala Lumpur Guitar Ensemble II. He approached me and asked if I remember him. He was a UiTM student but never studied the guitar so, I did not really recognise him but it was great to meet him. He then mentioned his intention to organise a youth festival and would like to invite me to it and to invite Nutavut – the reason for his presence.

When I heard ‘youth festival’, my mind raced on and I told Sazali of my intentions of forming a youth ensemble – Malaysia Youth Guitar Ensemble (MYGE). He was game and told me he would get in touch with me once everything was confirmed. I told him that I would give him my full support.

On 20th February 2011, I met Sazali for lunch in Sunway Pyramid. He confirmed that the festival was on and showed me the programme. In the programme was a spot for a Youth Guitar Ensemble – my reaction was shock! Wow, how was I to form a youth ensemble in the short span of about 2 month plus! Very quickly, I told Sazali that it was impossible but would think how to overcome the problem. As we were talking through lunch, I decided to get rid of the youth ensemble and told Sazali that instead of a youth ensemble, why not a guitar orchestra with no age limit. I could then involve the Classical Guitar Society (WP/Sel) members. With the strength of the Society’s members, as professionals, to be a part of the orchestra, they could easily help the youth in the orchestra and learn up the three pieces I had in mind. So, the Malaysia Classical Guitar Orchestra was conceived.

I had the Malaysia Classical Guitar Orchestra in mind for a long time but had not got it going until now. Sazali was the catalyst. I still had my reservations about calling the ensemble an orchestra as it really was only an ensemble. I mentioned this to Sazali but he insisted that it should be called an orchestra. The reason was that it would expand into a real guitar orchestra in the future. With that positive note, we settled on forming the country’s first ever Malaysia Classical Guitar Orchestra.

Getting members into the orchestra was a task that I had. I had to take many things into consideration, and finally getting the consent and willingness of those chosen, as time was not on our side, we started practice. We could only have four practices and yet learn up three pieces. The pieces chosen were my arrangements originally for KLGE II – Mak Inang, Putra Putri and Tanah Pusaka.

The choice of these pieces is necessary for most Malaysian guitarists who may want to show to the world a representation of Malaysia. Mak Inang is as traditional a Malay tune as it can be, while Putra Putri is a song about our royalties. And Malaysia is the only country in the world that is made up of many states with their own Sultans who in rotation would be the Agong of Malaysia. Finally, Tanah Pusaka is a patriotic song.

The twenty MCGO members I had chosen kept changing with each practice as one had a hurt hand and were advised to lay off playing the guitar, to another having received a scholarship to study in Singapore and yet another for one reason or another opted out. Finally, the list was made up of Chee Mee Chooi, Christopher Cheong, Chuah Yeong Chin, Ginny Leow Qian Ying, Hwang Jing, Jeremy Cheong, Jesslyn Chan Si Lyn, Johnrail Jamil @ Jaudi, Jovy Fong, Lee Ji Xuan, Lee Yuen Shuan, Leong Yee Hoo, Low Kean Soon, Low Yang Li, Murielle Probst, Pim Sri Wahok, Richard Kok Chee Kit, Saufi Mohd Athir, Tang Chee Chuan and Tang Shaun Wei.

As the festival grew nearer, I was informed during our last practice that there would be an appearance on ntv7 for The Breakfast Show on the morning of 6 May 2011. MCGO was to give a performance on air but the producer said the stage could not hold all twenty members. So, only a representative few could go on air. Immediately, I had to make a decision and my decision would have to take into account the quality of performance, as well as keeping in mind that this was a KTJ event, so KTJ students were needed in the count. In addition, this was also a youth festival, hence I would need young performers too. As the pieces were quartets, it would have to be a minimum of four otherwise eight players. For quality of performance, the leaders of the four different parts would have to be chosen. So Chuah Yeong Chin, Low Kean Soon, Lee Ji Xuan and Leong Yee Hoo were chosen. Then, came Jeremy Cheong, Pim Sri Wahok, Tang Shaun Wei and Christopher Cheong. Tang Shaun Wei opted out because of his studies and I had wanted another girl in the fold but Ginny declined immediately and so Tang Chee Chuan was asked from his third guitar part and he agreed.

Two days after our last practice, Sazali called me saying that he received an email from TV3 MHI producer and we were to go on air in the morning of 2nd May on Malaysia Hari Ini. Well, Sazali was to leave for Perth, Australia on 28 April and would be back on May 3. Pim Sri Wahok was not available too! Our festival director, Sazali, asked me to cover for him and would also have a representative of KTJ (Puan Zuraidah) with me. As for Pim, I had to get a replacement and with that, Jesslyn Chan Si Lyn came onboard.

The morning of May 2 was a very early one for us. We were at TV3 by 6.30 am Yawn…! Well, we did not know that we were scheduled to appear at the end of the show – at 8.30 to 9.00 am! We waited for two hours. Of interest, a VIP guest was on this same show – Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, daughter of our former Prime Minister.

The interview went well with my sons and wife laughing at my attempt to speak Bahasa Malaysia on TV! My poor command of the language was because of the fact that I had an English medium education!

The eight representatives of MCGO had the time of their lives! This was their very first appearance on TV and they were really excited. They had problems cueing themselves on, when to play and were further confused by the TV3 producer trying to cue them in! They made mistakes and had problems playing together. If we had weaker players, it could have been worse! Chalk this up to experience and a learning adventure. They spoke to me, and I told them that a TV show must have everything timed properly so that there were no breaks in between as this was a live show.

The run up to 6 May for The Breakfast show had me cracking my head as to the MCGO representatives. Sazali told me he had spoken with the producer and the producer maintained a maximum of only 6 players may appear on stage. As I mentioned earlier, the pieces were quartets and so it is either 4 or 8 players. The TV3 host had mentioned that she noticed that there was only one female in the group and I wanted to include another. If I could put all eight up, I could only do away with Tang Chee Chuan, I made the request and he was great and obliged to give up his place for Low Yang Li who had to learn the 3rd guitar part within a week. She was playing second guitar originally.

On the morning May 6, once again we arrived early. At 7 am everyone was there and we found that the TV station had the red carpet rolled out with many police and security people around. Nope… the red carpet was definitely not for us….fat hopes! Well, our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was to be on air this same morning.

It was good to have everyone around especially the new representative, Low Yang Li. I got down to having the four youth practising. Jeremy Cheong on first guitar, Jesslyn Chan on second guitar, Low Yang Li on third guitar and Christopher Cheong on fourth guitar. By 8 am I had decided to have these four on air and not have the others. Thankfully, the other four were very understanding and were not angry with me for wasting their time! Making them wake up so early, having to practice their parts through the week, believing they would be on TV and probably having told their friends about it. My apologies to them and am really happy to have the camaraderie found among them. They even lent their professional guitars to the girls and were helping out by carrying stuff and taking pictures.

Sazali and Nutavut arrived a little later with Murielle and Pim, bringing the banquet chairs from KTJ for the show as the TV station did not have the proper chairs for guitarists to sit on to play. The KTJ headmaster and music department head were supposed to arrive later as they were to be interviewed along with Sazali. Nutavut had to perform as well.

By 9.15 am, we had to be ready to go on air but KTJ’s headmaster and music department head had not arrived yet owing to traffic problems. Sazali asked me to be on standby to go on air with him. I was not prepared for this, especially since the festival is KTJ’s and not the Society’s festival! I declined but he insisted. I will state that the Classical Guitar Society (WP/Sel) Malaysia is there to support KTJ IYGF 2011 only and my appearance is to show how strongly we support KTJ and this festival.

Once again, the interview went on smoothly. Nutavut played the last movement of Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba. BUT… the four young ones had a bad recording! Why? Only, guitar 1 and 4 had microphones attached to the guitars. Guitar 2 had a last minute microphone attached which seemed to be more a come and go with the sound and no microphone attached to Guitar 3! Imagine the music made…!? It is sad to find ntv7 not equipped with microphones suitable for such a recording, unlike TV3, and we had to bring our own chairs as well. I finally understood why the producer said he could only have 6 players as the maximum on stage – the recording studio was really small!

On Sunday, the main day of the festival, there was the youth concert followed by a masterclass with Nutavut and then lunch. After lunch, was a workshop with Nutavut and then came the guest artiste concert. This concert started with Leong Yee Hoo and then the presentation of MCGO. Nutavut ended the concert and then it was certificate and gift acknowledgment to all concerned. Relief was on Sazali’s face when all was over and the job was done. Kudos to KTJ and Sazali for hosting the country’s first International Youth Guitar Festival and to the MCGO, well done! More great things are in store for this first ever orchestra with performances overseas in the pipeline!

Here are some photos.