The Lost Voices

 Someone informed me of the performance by the choir.

I must go and support them; they brought a lot of pride and joy to my life while I served in Seafield.

 Entitled The Lost Voices, I wondered at the choreography and the choice of renditions.

Why the lost voices? It sounded so old and traditional.

 I was wrong.

Though the renditions were 'ancient' it was a collection of popular folk music from all over Asia.

Serious. All over Asia. They sang in Korean, Japanese, Malay, Indonesian and even  Mongolian and Hokkien too. So versatile and catchy. The choir has grown in maturity; leaps and bounds.

 Susanah, the choir coach shared from her heart on how much the team has grown. It was a good 12 years ago when she first managed the team; then a small and untrained one. The members were groomed into singing in unison for patriotic and performance renditions. Though they seemed to dread the slow, patriotic ones  in the beginning, they soon learnt that it was part and parcel of the game. You need to enter local competitions to grow famous. Most local competitions make patriotic renditions a must.

In between mastering them, the choir was also trained to participate in the international scene just as how they performed in Germany and Thailand previously. They robed in tunes that catch the spirits and hearts of the hearers. You get uplifted being with them.
Last evening was again a repeat of their voices. They entertained the guests perfectly in their varied submissions of songs never heard for a long while.

 One such rendition was a Japanese folk song first taught to them when they performed in Thailand last March by Masashi Kishimoto of Rangsit University. I remembered hearing it for the first time too and was impressed by how quick the children caught the tune.

 Listen to them singing the Japanese tune.

It was then followed by many other tunes like Bangawan Solo, Suriram and a "tok tok" song organised  by a famous choreographer just for them. "Tok tok" was a challenging one to deliver and Susanah was sure proud of her protege. They made her happy.

 Kaevin, the up and coming bright star did it in Korean; one which brought the audience to their feet.

 The old timer; Imran who stands by the choir through its ups and downs delivered his "My Way" in his ever popular voice. He has lost quite a bit of weight. It was nostalgic looking at him.

Of course Ryan with his guitar skills added much hue to the evening. He has a heart for music and the ever supportive mother makes sure he is given the best of chances and groomed to the maximum. He is a lucky boy. He played so professionally.

The 2 hour performance ended in a medley of local tunes including this Hokkien one. 

Listen to them.

They were so lively and entertaining. The good attracts the good. May the team continue to grow and be a blessing to all around them.

Thank you for the evening. May the coming trip to Brisbane be one that will again add another feather to their cap. Hopefully, the Australians will receive another awesome performance and it will be another unforgettable, historical event.

All the best, children.

I miss you.