2015 | Volume I, No 2 | Not For Sale | Euroasia.org.my | Facebook.com/EuroasiaAssociationMalaysia2015 | Volume I, No 2 | Not For Sale | Euroasia.org.my | Facebook.com/EuroasiaAssociationMalaysia

Opening ActEuroasia launches

with grace and style

Bow MastersThe Nehr Brothers share their story

Flight RiskInstruments and travel issues

Contents

OVERTURESmashing DebutEuroasia launches in style! Page 4-5

SHOWTIMEOn DisplayPhotos from the Euroasia Official Launch. Pages 6-9

ARCOStick With The Best For Your FiddlesPARLANDO talks to master archertiers Jean-Pascal Nehr and Pierre Nehr about their work. Pages 10-11

ON TOUROn DisplayArioso Sinfonia starts off the year with many shows. Pages 12-13

UNISONOGetting Festive Down SouthEuroasia, in collaboration with the Johor Society for the Performing Arts (JSPA), is excited about the Johor Bahru Classical Music Festival. Page 14

BRAVURARoyale ShowcasePresenting the performers for the Royale Sunday Matinee. Page 15

CADENZAThe Heat Is OnThe Euroasia Competition Series returns with the Euroasia Violin Competition (EVC) – and the hunt for this year’s best violinists has begun. Pages 16

VARIAZIONIThe Plane TruthWe take a look at an issue that many musicians dread but can hardly avoid: problems with bringing musical equipment on flights. Pages 18-19

PRELUDE

~~~~~~~~~The word “Parlando” refers to an Italian music direction for

a singer to sing in a conversational style - thus, this newsletter will be

Euroasia’s way of talking with our audience, while remaining true to

our roots in performing arts.~~~~~~~~~

Volume I, No 2 (2015)/Published Quarterly/Not For Sale

~~~~~~~~~Editor/Communications Associate

Ahmad Azraieuroasia@email.com

~~~~~~~~~Cover Photo

Turning Point Dance Academydancers perform at the

Euroasia Official Launch.Photo: Essence Photograph

Photo: Essence Photograph

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Euroasia Officially Takes FlightIT was a bright and beautiful Sunday on the 1st of February, 2015, when the Euroasia Association of Perform-ing Arts (Euroasia) was officially launched at the Royale Bintang Re-sort and Spa Seremban.

Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, who is the patron of the Association, offici-ated the launch, along with Royale Bintang Seremban General Manager Mashor Din, and E uroasia Presi-dent Angel Lee. They were joined by Euroasia Vice President Mubin Abdul Rahman, Secretary Lee Shih Mei Hwa and Treasurer Teo Min Huey, while French Embassy Co-operation and Cultural Affairs Counsellor Jean-Pierre Galland and his wife Elisabeth Galland – who stayed for both the afternoon and evening sessions – were in the audi-ence to witness the ceremony.

The Association also made a formal announcement to introduce its supporting partners: the Royale Bintang Seremban (official hotel part-ner); Sin Chew Daily (official media partner); LeongTow Design (multi-media partner); Trinity College Lon-don; the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM); and the Johor Society for Perform-

OVERTURE

ing Arts (JSPA). All the partners were in attendance for the day.

The whole day event featured an exhi-bition of fine French bows for stringed instruments by world-renowned archetiers (bowmakers), the broth-ers Jean-Pascal Nehr and Pierre Nehr. The brothers – who are widely acknowledged for their skill as makers and restorers of bows – were on hand to talk about their work, and show-case their pieces. (See pages 10-11 for the full story)

In conjunction with the launch, the Royale Overture Concert was held at 3pm, with a diverse range of perform-ances. Turning Point Dance Acade-my started the show rolling with a de-lightful performance to a song called I Am A Cat, which was in Mandarin. The audience was charmed by the young performers, and gave them a hearty round of applause. Later on, the dance troupe performed a funky modern dance set to S Club 7’s Don’t Stop Mov-ing, a Broadway inspired number, and a special waltz choreographed to a movement of the Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky, in collaboration

with Euroasia’s Arioso Sinfonia ensemble under the baton of

Euroasia Music Asso-ciate Dr. Andrew

Filmer.

Not to be outdone in the cuteness factor were the members of the Arioso Junior Ensemble, who per-formed a Robert Frost medley of song arrangement. The weeks of practise and dedication that they put in paid off, and the performance showed the admirable skills of the players, some of whom were as young as 7 years old.

Next up were some fancy fireworks from jazz pianist Chin Yi Jun, who fearlessly tackled Fazil Say’s Paganini Jazz, and as well as Hiromi’s arrange-ment of George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm. Chin’s fingers proved to be up to the task of subduing the imposingly difficult pieces, and the crowd roared their approval at the end of the fantas-tic display of pianistic virtuosity.

Singer, songwriter and pianist Ally Lew followed, wth her own arrange-ments of Audioslave’s Be Yourself and Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors, as well as her own original composition Becoming. Lew managed to capture the melancholic nature of the songs, and her gentle voice imbued the songs with extra sensitivity and poignance.Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar (KTJ) played an arrangement of the Third Movement from Mozart’s famous Symphony No. 40, as well as the music of John Wil-liams for the movie Memoirs of A Gei-sha. Their interpretation proved to be fascinating, which was acknowledged by the audience’s generous applause.

Arioso Sinfonia was then joined by soprano Christine Seng Fun Yuan

IT’S OFFICIAL: (from left) Association President Angel Lee, Patron Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz and Royale Bintang Seremban General Manager Mashor Din officially launch Euroasia, with Euroasia’s Vice President Mubin Abdul Rahman, Treasurer Teo Min Huey, and Secretary Lee Shih Mei Hwa in attendance.

All Photos: Essence Photograph

Ally Lew sang her own arrangements,as well as an original composition.

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for two numbers: I Dreamed A Dream and Getaran Jiwa, tuneful classics that were familiar and well-received by the crowd. Arioso then joined forces with Music Talk Studio to offer an exciting rendition of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. The grand finale saw almost all the performers get together on stage to perform the biggest hit of 2013: Let It Go, from the movie Frozen.

The festivities continued later in the evening with the European Treasures Gala Concert, dedicated to Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tu-anku Munawir on the occasion of the 67th Birthday of His Royal Highness. The special invitation concert was at-tended by His Royal Highness Tuanku Muhriz and Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sem-bilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud, as well as various family members and invited guests of His Royal Highness.

Other guests in attendance for the evening included Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Hasan, and his wife Yang Mulia Raja Datin Seri Salbiah binti Tengku Nujumudin; British High Commissioner to Malaysia Her Excellency Victoria Treadell; High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Malaysia His Excellency Vanu Gopala Menon; and Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus State Secretary Yang Berhormat Dato’ Haji Mat Ali bin Hassan and his wife Yang Berbahagia Datin Paezah binti Ismail.

With the musicians using bows made by the Nehr brothers, Filmer once again led Arioso Sinfonia in perform-ance – this time in Baroque master-pieces. This included Filmer’s own edition of Telemann’s Concerto for Two Violettas, where he and Arioso’s Principal Violist Danish Mubin per-formed the solo parts. Arioso was then joined by pianist Loo Bang Hean to perform the last movement of Bach’s famous Piano Concerto in D.

Legendary composer and conductor Dato’ Johari Salleh was on hand to conduct Arioso Sinfonia in a special birthday tribute to His Royal High-ness: Johari’s own hauntingly beauti-ful Moon And The Breeze, an original composition based on Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s Bulan Dan Juga Angin. There was more good tunes from P. Ramlee,

this time with Euroasia Patron Y. A. M. Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz performing with Arioso. There was also a small surprise: a birthday cake and perform-ance of Happy Birthday by the young members of the Arioso Junior Ensem-ble, which delighted D. Y. M. M. Tuanku Muhriz. His Royal Highness graciously posed with the cake, and thanked the performers for the tribute.

The Seremban Cello Quartet – consisting of Arioso Sinfonia’s cello section – offered Piazzolla’s Oblivion, arranged for four cellos. This was followed by an enchanting perform-ance of Schumann’s Arabeske by pianist Ng Chong Lim, whereas Seng returned to offer O Mio Babbino Caro! and Ah! Je Veux Vivre. Arioso Sinfonia’s Principal Cello Goh Wen Chih and Guest Harpist Mei-Huei Shih from Taiwan gave an exquisite rendition of La Cygne (“The Swan”) by Saint-Saëns; and there was also an encore performance of the Tchaikovsky Waltz, performed by Turning Point Dance Academy and Arioso Sinfonia.

Last – and certainly not least – was an extra special performance by soprano Cecilia Yap, who brought the house down with her renditions of the Habanera from Carmen and I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. A stunning end to an eventful day, and a fitting debut for Euroasia.

HELLO KITTIES (right): The dancers from Turning Point Dance Academy started the show off with a smile.

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STAR POWER: (from left) Christine Seng, Cecilia Yap, Loo Bang Hean and Ng Chong Lim smile while waiting for their cues backstage.

enjoyed

SHOWTIME

6

All Photos: Essence Photograph

PUTTING ON THE RITZ:A dancer from

Turning PointDance Academy

sashays in style!

JAZZ WITH PIZZAZZ: Chin Yi Jun acknowledges the thunderous applause for his rendition of Paganini Jazz.

NON-STOP BOOGIE:Dancers from Turning Point Dance Academygrooved to S Club 7’s Don’t Stop Moving.

MESMERISING: Several members of the audience enjoying the performances.

enjoyed

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(this page, clockwise from centre left) SOULFUL SINGER: Christine Seng’s choice of songs was a hit with the crowd.

THE PRINCES AND PRINCESSES: Euroasia Patron Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz poses with some of the younger performers.

MOVIE MAGIC: Stuart Carter conducts the KTJ ensemble in the music of John Williams.

LAUGHING LASSES: The members of Arioso Junior Ensemble could not contain their excitement at all!

CURTAIN CALL: The guests of honour share the stage with the Royale Overture performers at the end of the show.

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enjoyed

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS: High Commissioner of Britain to Malaysia Her Excellency Victoria Treadell (right) and High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Malaysia His Excellency Vanu Gopala Menon pose for the scrapbook.

MEETING OF LEGENDS (above): Dato’ Johari Salleh (left) conducts Arioso Sinfonia in Moon And The Breeze, his original composition based on Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s Bulan Dan Juga Angin.

GRAND ENTRANCE: D. Y. M. M. Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud (centre) being escorted by Y. M. Raja Datin Seri Salbiah binti Tengku Nujumudin (left) and Euroasia President Angel Lee to the Special Holding Lounge.

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WONDERFUL WALTZ: Turning Point Dance Academyenchanted the crowd with their beautiful dance.

SHOWSTOPPING SOPRANO:Cecilia Yap brought the house down with her fiery rendition Bizet andRodgers & Hammerstein!

enjoyed

(Above left) D. Y. M. M. Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir (centre), D. Y. M. M. Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud (right) and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Y. A. B. Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Hasan (left in blue) enjoyed the performances.

(Above right) DELIGHTFUL DUET: Dr. Andrew Filmer (left) and Danish Mubin performed the solo parts for the arrangement of Telemann’s charming Concerto.

(right) SOOTHING SOUNDS: Goh Wen Chih (on cello) and Mei Huei Shih (on harp) gave a tranquil and beautiful performance of The Swan.

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GRAND GALA: The guests of honour – D. Y. M. M. Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, D. Y. M. M. Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Y. A. B. Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Hasan and Y. M. Raja Datin Seri Salbiah binti Tengku Nujumudin – pose with the performers of the European Treasures Gala Concert.

PERSONAL DEDICATION: Euroasia Patron Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz (on piano) and Arioso Sinfobia perform a P. Ramlee medley.

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Masters of the French BowCULTURAL expression throughout the world may vary in terms of aesthetics, ideals and philosophies – but it is can be convincingly argued that there are many common threads in all cultures, no matter diverse. From China’s erhu to India’s veena, and Bulgaria’s gadulka to the viols of the Western world, it is clear that stringed instru-ments have had an inseperable impact on human history. Even locally, the influence is bourne by the fact that the logo of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) consists of a rebab created with a stylised stroke.

Another common feature that links the instruments is the fact that the major-ity of them have bows, a stick which is bent and shaped in a special way, with additional materials added to form a ribbon stretched between its ends. At one end, a mechanism responsible for tightening and holding bow hair ribbons – known as the bow frog – is used to stroke the instrument’s strings to create the sound via vibration. And although most people only think of the main instrument, bows are an impor-tant part in the use and performance of any stringed instrument.

Consequently, bowmakers – also known by the old French name archetiers – are just as important as instrument makers, despite the fact that the former will forever be eclipsed by the latter; Stradivari will always be a more recognised name rather than Tourte – at least, amongst non-musicians. Euroasia was privi-leged to be able to host two of the most acclaimed archetiers in the world who may very well change that state of affairs: the Nehr brothers, Jean-Pascal and Pierre.

ARCO

The brothers presented the French Bows Exhibition during the Euroasia Official Launch, where their bows were used by Euroasia Affiliate En-semble Arioso Sinfonia, during the European Treasures Gala Concert. The general consensus from the musicians as well as those who attended the con-cert is that the bows really did make major difference to the performance.

Another point of agreement for eve-ryone was the fact that the brothers’ creations were aesthetically pleasing, in addition to performing admirably.

The reputation gar-nered by the brothers is certainly well deserved, and it is easy to see that the accumulated experi-ence of both brothers is a significant contributing factor to their success.

“Bowmaking changed in 1971, when several

violinmakers decided to open a free school,” said Jean-Pascal, who is the senior brother. “Before that, it was a very different world. At that ponit, there were few violin makers left in France – and no archetiers at all.”

Pierre – who trained with Jean-Pascal, and is also an award-winning archetier – added: “Before the school, it was difficult to look for a teacher. Maybe, you could learn if you hap-pened to be the son of a violin maker – but there were no sons of bowmak-ers, because there effectively were no real bowmakers. There was a big gap – about 120 years – because people specialised in the instruments but not in the bowmaking.”

The brothers create their own bows in their separate workshops –Jean-Pas-cal has his own workshop in Marseille, whereas Pierre Nehr’s workshop is in Paris – but it is their collaboration bows, created by both and bearing

All Photos: Essence Photograph

FINE FRENCH CRAFTSMANSHIP: Jean-Pascal Nehr (left) explains his work to French Embassy Co-operation and Cultural Affairs Counsellor Jean-Pierre Galland during the French Bows Exhibition at the Royale Bintang Seremban.

both their names – that have been making waves, ensuring that their creations are in such heavy demand that anyone who wants a custom bow has to be put on a waiting list. Interestingly, the catalyst for the col-laboration between the brothers was a simple reason: they wanted to create a personalised Christmas present for Jean-Pascal’s daughter Juliette.

“When you start a bow, you have to finish a bow,” Pierre explained. “You can give it to another person – but that would not result in the bow that you were expecting. Our collabora-tion, though, is different; it was a gift, and we made a ¾-bow for her. We were excited about it – and we found that working together on it was sim-ple; Jean-Pascal was my teacher, and we knew how to discuss and achieve what we wanted. The result was better than what we hoped – and we ended making more bows together for other clients.”

Jean-Pascal said: “When I make bows with Pierre, it is very easy, very ‘soft’ – because while I get the idea in my head, he is the one who will make it. Years ago, it may have been different when he was starting to learn from me – but now, he can make what I see.” Pierre added: “We are very ‘free’together – free to make the bows the best way we know how, and the ones who buy the bow are able to benefit.”

The brothers also gave a one-day exhibition at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur, which was attended by Euroasia Patron Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz and National Symphony Or-chestra (NSO) Chief Conductor and Music Director Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, students from the Mont’Kiara Inter-national School, and several local and foreign professional musicians.

What is amazing is the fact that despite the high regard and recogni-tion that their bows achieve world-wide, the brothers are not afraid to admit that they are willing to learn new things. Jean-Pascal said: “I have worked for 41 years – and I am learn-ing all the time. I go to see old bows – all the time. I do and go to exhibitions – all the time. Even when I am here, I come more to meet with different musicians, for a different ambience. I learn all the time, because I give away a lot of the bowmaking things (and knowledge) that I know.” Other than Pierre, Jean-Pascal had also trained their cousin Gilles Nehr, who lives and works in Berlin – and the same dedication to quality and craftsman-ship runs deep in the family.

“When you give something, you learn. When you show your work, when you show some-

one else how you make the

bow – you can tell him to do it

the same way, and

he will do it the same

way. But it is not the same, really! And

you see that. The movement, the “taste”, the style – it all can

be affected. When you

make the bow,

you make the curves, it is a straight-forward thing. The liberties that you can take are very, very small. There are things that you must do exactly. Maybe that is a good thing: a different approach. So, I learn something too!”

The brothers enthusiatically agreed that meeting with the young mem-bers of Arioso Sinfonia was especially rewarding. “For me, when I saw that the musicians were young players – I think they are fantastic! I have never seen anything like them,” Jean-Pascal said. Pierre added: “We are very sur-

prised. Even the Opera Marseilles does not play like them. We hope that they will progress and suc-

ceed.” High praise indeed, from master archetiers.

More photos from the French Bows Exhibition are

available from our Facebook Fanpage.

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TALKING POINTS: Professional violinist Graeme Norris (left) and Pierre Nehrdiscuss the meritsof one of the bows at the Istana Budaya.

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THE year 2014 was a very eventful one for Euroasia’s Affiliate Ensemble, Arioso Sinfonia, as we saw in the pre-miere issue of PARLANDO. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the group hit the ground running from the very start of 2015.

On Jan 9, the group paid a visit to the Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Rhema in Taman Rasah, near Seremban. This was to start off Eu-roasia’s new Gift of Music initiative, a continuous special development project where the Association visits children’s homes throughout Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus to identify potential musical talents. Successful candidates will be sponsored the cost of music education, and given the opportunity to develop exposure of their talents.

The maiden leg of the Gift of Music saw the Rhema children being thor-

oughly entertained by the creative and fun arrangements of two local fa-vourites: Rasa Sayang and Ikan Kekek. But when they realised that they were being given a chance to actually try out the instruments, they could barely contain their excitement.

With the help of the Arioso members, the children gingerly held on to the instruments as if they were delicate porcelain – but they were soon able to coax some sounds from the violins, violas and cellos. The sounds were not quite the same as the ones that they had heard earlier – but the fact that they themselves made the sounds meant so much to them. Best of all, Euroasia even managed to identify a few potential budding tal-

ents amongst the children – so keep watching this space for more news.

January was a special month, be-cause it is the birth month of one of Euroasia’s greatest supporters: Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir. As such, The Seremban Quartet – made up of four members from Arioso – gave a performance at the special celebration held at the Istana Besar Seri Menanti on Jan 13 – the day before the 67th birthday of His Royal Highness. After a successful per-formance, the Quartet posed with the Royal Family, consisting of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Muhriz, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus Tuanku Aishah Rohani binti Almarhum Tengku Besar Mahmud, Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Besar Sri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz and Euroasia Patron Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz.

Arioso ended the month on a high note, with a performance on Jan 24 in conjunction with the for the 2015 High Scorers’ Concert of the Associ-

Arioso’s Active Start to the Year

ON TOUR

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PRIZE-WINNING PERFORMANCE: Arioso Sinfonia performing at the ABRSM High

Scorers’ Concert in Malacca.

INSPIRATIONAL: The children of the Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Rhema were en-thralled by Arioso Sinfonia’s performance.

All Photos: Euroasia

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YOUTHFUL ENERGY: (from left) Joel Chew Yee Song, Loe Jing Yi, Denise Mubin, Lim Zhi Hsuan, Danish Mubin, Annie Leong Yu Xuan and Goh Wen Chih – members of Arioso Sinfonia who are also in the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra – pose outside the Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS after the show.

ated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). Held at Kolej Yayasan Saad in Malacca, the concert was in recognition of Arioso’s win-ning the Advanced Category (String Ensemble) at the 125th Year Ensemble Competition Peninsula Malaysia in December 2014. Hurray!

Following their performance dur-ing the successful Euroasia Official Launch on Feb 1, Arioso was once again invited to the Istana Besar Seri Menanti to perform for another special occasion: the Ceremony of Investiture of Decorations, Stars and Medals (Istiadat Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang & Pingat) held in conjunction with the 67th Birthday of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Muhriz. Held on Feb 26, this was the second year in a row that Arioso was called to perform for the ceremony, and the ensemble was supported by Yayasan Negeri Sembilan for this venture –a grand honour, indeed!

The group managed to round off the first quarter of the year in a rather special way: in collaboration with world famous conductor Benjamin Zander. Zander – a well-loved and extremly knowledgable musician, who famously studied under both Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst – was in Kuala Lumpur to conduct the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and went on to give a masterclass for the Malaysian Phil-harmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO)

a day before conducting them in con-cert. As several members of Arioso are also member of the MPYO, they managed to benefit from the wit and wisdom of the amazing conductor.Euroasia was privileged to speak Zander, who was full of praise for the young musicians. “These youths are amazing – they can adapt and adjust to difficulties on the fly, and their en-thusiasm and thirst for knowledge is

unbeatable. It is because of musicians like this that I do what I do!” said the 76-year-old conductor, who seemed just as energetic as the youngsters that he praised.

Zander conducted the MPYO in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Sym-phony No. 5 on Mar 25 before leaving for Boston, and the second half of the show saw a performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, with Andrew Ng Wen Hao and Arioso’s Principal Violist Danish Mubin as soloists. The month ended with Danish and Arioso Sinfonia Principal Cello Goh Wen Chih being selected from the MPYO to perform side by side in concert with the MPO on May 31. A great start to the year; bring on the next quarter!

ROYAL RECEPTION: The Seremban Quartet and Euroasia President

Angel Lee pose with the Royal Family at the Istana Besar Seri Menanti for the

cake presentation in honour of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan’s 67th birthday.

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Classical CollaborationONE of the of the major objectives of the Euroasia Association of Per-forming Arts is to educate, promote and develop performing arts in Ma-laysia. This will be achieved through the various activities that Euroasia has planned for the year – and one of the most important activities is its participation in the Inaugural Johor Bahru Classical Music Festival, which will be held at the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel, Johor Bahru from May 1-3, 2015.

Working in collaboration with sup-porting partner the Johor Society for the Performing Arts (JSPA), Eu-roasia will be contributing a Lecture Concert and two seminars, entitled How to form a Chamber Ensemble for Kids and Different Approaches Towards Teaching. Representing the Association for the Festival are President Angel Lee, Committee Jonathan Oh, and Music Associates Dr. Andrew Filmer and Loo Bang Hean, who will all be performing for the Lecture Concert, as well as speaking at the seminars. For the seminars, they will be joined by supporting partner the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Mu-sic (ABRSM), which will be repre-sented by ABRSM Malaysia National Consultant Ryan Lewis.

Not to be missed during the Festival is a performance by one of the pre-miere classical music groups in the region, Singapore’s very own T’ang

UNISONO

Quartet. Formed in 1992 when the members were still performers with the Singapore Symphony Or-chestra (SSO), the award-winning Quartet has given numerous per-formances to great acclaim, as well as being active in various outreach and art education programmes. It is currently the quartet-in-residence at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, and play instruments on generous loan from the Rin Collec-tion and Jiri Heger.

There will also be a performance by the Foon Yew High School String

Orchestra, which looks set to be exciting, not least because the young and enthusiastic performers have been making waves quietly, and are now ready for a bit of the limelight.

Rounding off the Festival is Malay-sia’s very own National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), under the baton of its Chief Conductor and Music Direc-tor Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, who is also a Music Associate for Euroasia. The orchestra will have an open rehearsal on the last day, before ending the night with a full concert with famous local soprano Cecilia Yap. It looks like a blast of class for the South.

Photos: JB Arts Fest. Background Photo: The Singapore-Johor causeway by Calvin Teo (Own Work)/Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

(clockwise from top left): Cecilia Yap, the National Symphony Orchestra, The T’ang Quar-tet, Loo Bang Hean, Dr. Andrew Filmer, Jonathan Oh, Angel Lee and Ryan Lewis, and will be appearing for the Johor Bahru Classical Music Festival.

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AMAZING AFTERNOON (clockwise from top left): Anjali Anne Rajoo (left) and Khoo Xian Wen perform an interesting version of the famous Minuet from the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook; the audience enjoyed themselves during the performance; Carol Wong and Tan Sher yen played the delightfully chirpy Gloomy Salad Days; the ukelele duo perform the interesting Pianoforte; and Freedom Soul hit the right notes with their rendition of Shining Friends.

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Sunday DelightsAS incredible as recordings can be, there is nothing quite like a live show – whether you are performing, or are a member of the audience. Though it can be a bit of an ordeal for some performers, the thrill of playing live is often strong enough to overcome the nerves and make it all the more worthwhile. And as with everything worth doing, more exposure and performance opportu-nities tend to lead to improvements for the performers, which ultimately benefits the audience.

In order to encourage the improve-ment and development of perform-ers, Euroasia undertakes The Royale Sunday Matinee (RSM), its series of free concerts presented at the Royale Bintang Resort and Spa Seremban on the last Sunday of certain months. Initiated in January of 2014, the aim of the RSM is to focus on the talents of

BRAVURA

Negeri Sembilan, and to provide op-portunities for all kinds of musicians – regardless of age – to develop the state of performing arts in Seremban.

On Sunday, Mar 29, 2015, the audi-ence at the Royale Bintang Seremban were treated to two sets of perform-ances by the students of Miss Carol Wong, as well as by Freedom Soul.

Calling their set Music In Action, Wong’s group consisted of Wong and Chan Kwong Foo, along with students Khoo Xian Wen (7), Shaasmeetha Nair (8), Anjali Anne Rajoo (12), Esther Sit (7) and Tan Sher Yen (8). While Wong and Chan performed on ukeleles, the students played on piano, covering evergreen piano standards such as In Mexico, Tchaikovsky’s Waltz Of Flowers, Ballade, Long,Long Ago, Red Indian Dance, Beethoven’s Für Elise, Spin-

ning Song, Gloomy Salad Days (which sounded anything but gloomy) and To Become The Wind (from The Cat Returns). The ukelele duo performed and sang Shimakuburo’s Pianoforte, L.O.V.E. and Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You.

Freedom Soul – consisting of Alvin Tee on guitar, Yunying Yee on keyboards and singers Chong Yook San and Cristine Cheong Pict Chia – charmed everyone with an eclectic selection from China, Korea and the West, performing Shining Friends, Meaning Of Travel, My Destiny, I Believe, Red Bean and True Colors. It was certainly a great way to end the weekend!

More photos from the Royale Sun-day Matinee are available from the Royale Sunday Matinee Facebook Fanpage.

All Photos: Euroasia

EVC: The Challenge for Virtuosos

CADENZA

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PERFORMANCE art offers a joy to the performer that is unique and inde-scribably previous. For musicians, playing an instrument is commonly seen as indulging in a spiritual ex-perience – and for many people, the challenges and difficulties in pursu-ing the art of performance often re-pays the dedication that is poured in.

Just like any other human endeavour, it is inevitable that some people will have better skills than others, regard-less of background or any other factors that may affect their art. But far from seeing these differences as a source of discord and conflict, Euroasia – which is dedicated towards the promotion and improve-ment of performance arts amongst its goals – sees differences as an oppor-tunity to admire and acknowledge skills that can be taken as an inspira-tion, as well an opportunity to create performances at the highest level.

With that in mind, Euroasia is pleased to present the third edition of its Competition and Festival Series, the Euroasia Violin Competition 2015 (EVC) and the Euroasia Youth Music Festival (EYMF) 2015.”

Euroasia is honoured and thrilled to have several parties involved with the EVC. Sin Chew Daily and LeongTow Design are Euroasia’s partners, and the EVC is also supported by Trin-ity College London, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Mu-sic (ABRSM) and the Johor Society for Performing Arts (JSPA).

Euroasia is proud to welcome Pedi Design as one of our main sponsors for the EVC. Joining the expand-ing list of Euroasia partners in this endeavour are Mr. David Ng from Graceful Piano Sdn. Bhd., and Tourism Malaysia Negeri Sembi-lan (in conjunction with the Year of Festivals 2015), whereas the venues for Kuantan, Kuching and Kuala Lumpur have been kindly sponsored by Khoo Academy of Music & Art, Ahraz Sdn. Bhd., and Graceful Piano respectively.

The EVC will be held regionally in two catego-ries: the Open Category and the Young Art-ist Category. The details of the Regional Rounds are as follows:

4th July, • 2015 Johor Bahru at JBPAC;12th July, 2015• Kuantan at Khoo Academy of Music and Art;26th July, 2015• Kuching at the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites;2nd August, 2015• Penang at the Bayview Hotel Georgetown Penang;8th August, 2015• Kuala Lumpur at the Graceful Piano Hall; and9th August, 2015• Seremban (Venue to be Con-firmed).

The Open Category, which is aimed at celebrating musical achievement at the regional level, has four age entry groups: Novice (Aged 8 and below), Junior (Aged 12 and below), Youth (Aged 17 and below), and Senior (Age 24 and below). Participants are allowed a free choice of piece which falls within the time limit of their respective age groups.

The Young Artist Category has three age entry groups – Junior (Aged 12 and below), Youth (Aged 17 and below), and Senior (Aged 24 and below) – and has two rounds: regional-level Preliminary Rounds, and a national-level Final Round. Perform-ance requirements for the Preliminary Rounds are one movement from Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, and a contrasting free choice of piece.

Finalists are expected to present a balanced

programme not exceed-ing 15 minutes, consist-

ing of a minimum of two contrasting pieces.

During the Regional Rounds, the prize-giving for both categories – as well as the announcement of Finalists for the Young Artist Category – will be done at the conclusion of the competition day. Additionally, Seremban will be the venue for the Final Round of the Young Artist Category on 23rd August, 2015 (venue to be confirmed).

The response for the past two edi-tions of the Euroasia Competition Series were quite phenomenal, with the number of applicants from all over Malaysia, as well as from other countries being very encouraging - but it was unanimously agreed by the panel members that it was the excel-lent and competitive quality of the participants which made the Compe-tition Series a resounding success. We cant’ wait to see what is in store for the EVC this year!

For the entry forms, information sheet, full terms and conditions, and prize list can be found at the competition website, and registra-tion can be made on the website or via email at competition@euroasia.org.my. The closing date for applications to the EVC is 31st May, 2015.

Illustrations: Ahmad Azrai

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Making Waves in the AirFOR many, the past few decades have become akin to a golden age for listening to music. The proliferation of technology has had an impact on the industry in so many ways, including the creation of better and more varied instruments and tools for music mak-ing and playback; a greater and wider scope for education, which leads to a raising of performance standards and greater awareness; and the ease and speed with which the dissemination of music worldwide can be achieved. Interestingly, the advent of flight and travel means that not only can you actually visit Bayreuth for the famous Festival, chances are the performers from Bayreuth will come to visit you in your very own hometown.

For musicians, travel can be benefi-cial in so many ways. Unfortunately, it can also go in the other direction – and has for many. Musicians who have instruments that can fit into the cargo hold tend to have less prob-lems – you cannot physically check in a piano as hand luggage, so there will be less issues (though this is not always the case, as we will see later in this article). However, musicians with instruments that can be carried – including string instruments, reeds, the smaller brass, etc. – often face a problems when trying to bring the things with them on board.

“Cellists often face this problem,” said Euroasia Committee Member Jonathan Oh. “We tend to have to buy an extra seat for our instrument – and even then, it can get ridiculous. I had an incident where the flight attendants were panicking because ‘Mr. Cello’ was not on board, and they were frantically making an annoucne-ment for him to board immediately!”

Sadly, it’s not always an anecdote that gets told. The case where reknowned pianist Krystian Zimerman – who travels the world with his own cus-tomised piano soundboard which he designed – had his piano destroyed by the officers of the US Transpor-tation Security Adminstration

VARIAZIONI

(TSA) is likely to be the most seri-ous and traumatic case of “travelling mishaps with instruments”. The TSA was formed in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks, which then started the implementation of stricted security measures at all American airports. Apparently, the officers had an adverse reaction to the smell of the glue of Zimerman’s piano – and rather than take any chances, they destroyed the instrument. It is likely one of the many factors that has led the famed Polish pianist to vow never to perform in the USA again since 2009 – and is but one of many cases raised against the TSA by critics.

Another fairly recent incident in-volved the LGT Young Soloists, a Swiss-based ensemble who were refused entry to a Singapore Air-lines flight with their instruments. It seemes that the group – which had performed in both Singapore and Hong Kong – were prohibited from boarding with the instruments and told to check the instruments as baggage. Considering that among the instruments were a Stradivarius, a Testore and two Gaglianos, this caused quite a bit of a stir, espe-cially since the group had made their outward journeys with the airline without incident.

Sometimes, the musicians fight back – a rather creative manner too. The most famous example of this is United Breaks Guitars. In 2008, Dave Car-roll of the folk duo Sons of Maxwell took a flight on United Airlines from Chicago to Nebraska. When he picked up his Taylor guitar at the baggage check, he found it irreparably broken. He tried to get the airline to com-pensate him for the loss, to no effect – so he did the next best thing, as far as modern methods go: he wrote a song about it, and shared it on social media.

The music video for United Breaks Guitars showed an exaggerated reenactment of the events, and has garnered almost 15 million views on YouTube at the time of publication.

The destruction of his instrument eventually proved profitable for Car-roll, who has since launched a book about the incident and has seen his popularity – which was already pret-ty impressive – soar sky high. United Airlines, on the other hand, suffered badly in terms of reputation and even fiscally – especially since its famous old slogan “Fly the Friendly Skies” was now proven to be an ironic farce.

Such stories and incidents have lead many to jokingly suggest creating a special airline that only services musicians. Certainly, it has become a frequent enough problem that all airlines not only have a policy regard-ing instruments, but are active in trying to prevent any problems for occurring.

But is the creation of Air Musica: Now Your Notes Can Really Fly the solution? Not necessarily. Euroasia Music Associate and musicologist Dr. Andrew Filmer said: “We can see from the vast majority of these incidents that it is more of a commu-nication problem – particularly of the ground staff at the airport – rather than anything else. You can have the most comprehensible policies ever – but unless the ground staff actu-ally knows them well enough and is helpful enough, you may still face problems anyway. I can safely say that, through the benefit of personal experience.”

It certainly is true: if it happens that the ground staff that you are dealing with has a bad day because her kids threw the breakfast cereal on the floor, and she discovered both that her husband is cheating on her and that her staff evaluation is not good while you are in the line, then you really are out of luck.

Euroasia agrees with Filmer’s stance: that the best thing to do is be polite but firm. “There is no need to be rude to the staff; and although it can get very taxing, they are only doing their job, at the end of the day. At the end of the day, no one want to delay

Illustrations: Ahmad Azrai

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flights – and you can always speak to a superior officer if necessary. Of course, it also helps if you memorise the actual terms, conditions and laws governing the transportation of your musical instruments. When I was faced with such an incident, I actually quoted the by-law verbatim –which stunned the airport staff, who should have been the one quoting it to me. I also spoke in a clam tone throughout, which also helped tremendously, I feel,” Filmer said.

It certainly helps that there has been an update on the ruling. On Dec 30, 2014, the US Department of Trans-portation issued what it termed as the “Final Rule Regarding Air Travel with Musical Instruments”. Quoting from the statement:

“This final rule implements the statute, and it will go a long way towards keeping instruments safe

when they fly – from allowing them in the cabin if there’s space for safe stowage, to letting passengers buy a seat for certain large instruments.”

The rule requires that each U.S. car-rier subject to this regulation allow a passenger to carry into the cabin and stow a small musical instru-ment, such as a violin or a guitar, in a suitable baggage compartment, such as the overhead bin or a closet, or under the seats, in accordance with FAA safety regulations and the carrier’s FAA-approved carry-on baggage program.

Of course, this ruling will only apply to the USA – but it is likely to affect other international carriers as well, seeing as how internationally cosmopolitan the world music scene has become.

So what is a poor travelling musician to do? Buy instruments for each city

they visit,

and pray that the gigs

don’t dry up? Practise more pop hits to serenade

the flustered officers at the airports?

As it so happens, the website Part-TimeMusician.com has a handy list on how to travel with your musical instrument, that run from the practical (“If you’re close on measurements, buy a smaller case”) to the semi-joking (“If you have a large instrument, drive”). At the very least, it certainly agrees with Euroasia’s stance about keeping one’s cool when faced with such a situ-ation at a foreign airport. We certainly hope that our readers don’t have any such problems when they at travel – and that if you do, you could make a living out of the Sonata for Disgruntled Airport Staff and Broken Violin...

VARIAZIONI discusses issues that affect practitioners of per-forming arts. The purpose is to provide a platform for discussion and tips. You can join in with your own comments on our Facebook Fanpage.

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UNITED WE FALL: The song created by Dave Carroll in re-sponse to the destruction of his instrument has had almost 15 million views of YouTube.