I went for this event held at St Peter St Paul to celebrate the feast of St Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians and choristers. It was a humbling experience for me.
Some choirs shared their favourite songs with us and God used their voices to enter my heart. They really brought out the meaning of the lyrics and brought God out in the process. Blest Are They is a song that brought me close to tears. I have heard this hymn before but the chorus that begins with "Rejoice and be glad." had a different effect on me this time. Perhaps God used it to minister to my subconscious needs. The spirit they exuded while singing was inspiring and the sharing was not just a performance to them. They were humble in the midst of it.
I heard some new songs which were pleasantly melodious too. Worthy Is The Lamb(not the Hillsong) is one of them. The melody was simple and was an arrangement which I usually like.
We had sectionals on two pieces as a combined choir. It was such a wonderful experience. We got to know new fellow choristers. It was a great feeling being amongst choristers with different levels of singing and a great willingness to learn.
Some were first-time choristers and their enthusiasm as well as effort were heartwarming :) There were choristers as old as 60 and 75 years old!
When we combined with the other sections to sing the pieces, the gothic design of the church enriched our voices and we sounded really good. It was such a beautiful sound. I sat with some Filipino choristers from the newly-formed Divine Mercy choir and they were really nice people to be with. I hope to see them again in similar events in the future. :)
We learnt the Gregorian chants for Lord Have Mercy, Holy Holy and The Lord's Prayer. Surprisingly, the notations were easy to follow and the tunes were thus easy to get. As long as we have a musical instinct, and know how to sight-read, listen and memorise, this will be a much easier task :)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Our National Anthem
A big ruckus was made over Taufik's inaccurate rendition of our anthem. I feel that he got it only because he is famous. He was our first singing idol. That seems rather unfair, considering the fact that he did not do a greater wrong than Ris Low, and that he is but one of the many people who commit the same mistake when singing it.
It seems strange to note that the excuse given for not being able to get it right is that the people had sung it a long time back and had forgotten it as a result. I cannot fathom how they can forget such a poignant piece that has seeped into my mind, albeit unconsciously. I am proud to say that I can remember every single word of it and know that Majulah means Onward. Though I sang it for a national event as part of a choir, which means I had to rehearse it many times, I don't think it makes me that much of an exception in this aspect.
I disagree with some of the comments from the commoners on the streets but one really stands out. If this is a song about patriotism, then we should know the lyrics and it DOES matter when we do not. It is so sad how this 13-year-old student feels about our anthem.
It seems strange to note that the excuse given for not being able to get it right is that the people had sung it a long time back and had forgotten it as a result. I cannot fathom how they can forget such a poignant piece that has seeped into my mind, albeit unconsciously. I am proud to say that I can remember every single word of it and know that Majulah means Onward. Though I sang it for a national event as part of a choir, which means I had to rehearse it many times, I don't think it makes me that much of an exception in this aspect.
I disagree with some of the comments from the commoners on the streets but one really stands out. If this is a song about patriotism, then we should know the lyrics and it DOES matter when we do not. It is so sad how this 13-year-old student feels about our anthem.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Esplanade Concert Hall's VIP Box members of the audience
I attended a concert at Esplanade and bought a ticket for the VIP Box section of the Foyer Stall seats. This means that I was given a single seat which can be moved. It is not joined to the other 3 seats in my row.
I entered my section via a separate door which leads to another 2 doors. The usher asked if I was a friend of one of the performers. I guess few people go to this section. The ironic thing is that the real VIP was seated in the Stall section a few rows away from the stage.
The section was exclusive. Thus, when the other members of the audience and I exited it, people who were seated in the non-VIP Foyer Stall seats looked at us in curiosity. It felt nice to be regarded in this way :)
The most striking thing was that we were not elegantly or formally dressed. Perhaps that is why we had those looks. Lol. I realised then that being a VIP, whether real or otherwise, is not due to the clothes worn but to the cultured behaviour portrayed. I'm glad that I knew the correct moment to applaud after each performance by each choir. This makes me somewhat worthy of being in that section. :P Most people applauded after each song, but really, it should be done after all the songs by each choir. Of course, the real VIP was one because of his musical achievements in the history of Singapore's choral industry. Guess what, he wore simple attire.
I entered my section via a separate door which leads to another 2 doors. The usher asked if I was a friend of one of the performers. I guess few people go to this section. The ironic thing is that the real VIP was seated in the Stall section a few rows away from the stage.
The section was exclusive. Thus, when the other members of the audience and I exited it, people who were seated in the non-VIP Foyer Stall seats looked at us in curiosity. It felt nice to be regarded in this way :)
The most striking thing was that we were not elegantly or formally dressed. Perhaps that is why we had those looks. Lol. I realised then that being a VIP, whether real or otherwise, is not due to the clothes worn but to the cultured behaviour portrayed. I'm glad that I knew the correct moment to applaud after each performance by each choir. This makes me somewhat worthy of being in that section. :P Most people applauded after each song, but really, it should be done after all the songs by each choir. Of course, the real VIP was one because of his musical achievements in the history of Singapore's choral industry. Guess what, he wore simple attire.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Call event
While doing my daily prayer, God affirmed us by speaking through the Gospel. The theme of our musical was the same as the theme of that day's Gospel: what profits a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.
It was a night of miracles. All came into place. Seats were filled up as the event began. Our makeup was done perfectly and in time. Almost all who were sick or lacked adequate sleep were sustained through the event. We were granted mercy to surpass in technicalities. My "taboo" was not revealed amidst the lighting and movements. My timing was present for the Indian dances and I had no backache as I usually had for the rehearsals. It really matters that my legs were in perfect condition to dance and move. I actually went down the steep stairs at the side of the stage without any help! I could also walk a long way to Aunty Joyce's car after the event. Praise God! Alleluia! The Malay dance was still not perfect though.
God truly revealed His marvels when some members of the audience were visibly touched. I feel so glad and honoured to be one of His instruments in this aspect. I've wondered whether the phenomenon would ever happen again, and indeed He showed me that it has never vanished.
It was a night of miracles. All came into place. Seats were filled up as the event began. Our makeup was done perfectly and in time. Almost all who were sick or lacked adequate sleep were sustained through the event. We were granted mercy to surpass in technicalities. My "taboo" was not revealed amidst the lighting and movements. My timing was present for the Indian dances and I had no backache as I usually had for the rehearsals. It really matters that my legs were in perfect condition to dance and move. I actually went down the steep stairs at the side of the stage without any help! I could also walk a long way to Aunty Joyce's car after the event. Praise God! Alleluia! The Malay dance was still not perfect though.
God truly revealed His marvels when some members of the audience were visibly touched. I feel so glad and honoured to be one of His instruments in this aspect. I've wondered whether the phenomenon would ever happen again, and indeed He showed me that it has never vanished.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Proper choral singing
It irks me when people do not keep silent upon hearing the introduction to the song that they will be singing. They keep talking. It irks me further when they have external exposure to choral singing too.
Another thing that irks me is when people laugh into the mike upon making a mistake in their singing. Their laughter can be heard through the system! Do they even realise that?
Enough said.
Another thing that irks me is when people laugh into the mike upon making a mistake in their singing. Their laughter can be heard through the system! Do they even realise that?
Enough said.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Actual concert!
I was sick throughout and am still recovering from my viral infection. I knew I had to see a doctor so that I could recover in time for the concert but I was still feeling woozy on the 19th of December. The long and strenuous hours of warming up before the actual performance took their toll on me and I had to keep popping vitamins to stay physically alert and strong. I was so hungry during dinner that I finished almost all of my rice.(I usually leave a lot of rice behind.)
I decided to change and put on makeup before dinner this year, so that I did not need to rush to do so after dinner, as I had for the previous years. It made me feel more relaxed as a result. I hope to do that again for every performance. Frankly, I was feeling rather unmotivated for the concert but God met that need just before it. Also, my arthritis was not really a hindrance, as my SL kindly allowed me to stand at the corner so that I did not need to walk so much. Of course, I had to climb the steps as per normal to keep up with the speed of everyone else, but angels helped me to go down the steep steps at the stage.
I did not take part in the choreography for the medley segment but stood near the piano to sing together with the rest of my choir. It felt strange but at least I got to sing with them.
All of us put in a lot of effort for this concert since it was the inaugural concert by the "best" youth choirs of the Catholic churches in Singapore. However, it takes a certain type of audience to appreciate the organ recital because pipe organ music is not easy to fully understand. I am far from this level of appreciation. Also, opening and closing prayers were missing from the agenda. There was a big boo-boo from the emcee too, when he did not realise that his microphone had not yet been turned off, and he spoke as if it had been. The audience heard what he muttered. Nonetheless, there was positive enthusiasm from the other choirs who participated with us. They want to hold another concert again. Even the Archbishop requested to be the guest-of-honour for the next concert. :))
I decided to change and put on makeup before dinner this year, so that I did not need to rush to do so after dinner, as I had for the previous years. It made me feel more relaxed as a result. I hope to do that again for every performance. Frankly, I was feeling rather unmotivated for the concert but God met that need just before it. Also, my arthritis was not really a hindrance, as my SL kindly allowed me to stand at the corner so that I did not need to walk so much. Of course, I had to climb the steps as per normal to keep up with the speed of everyone else, but angels helped me to go down the steep steps at the stage.
I did not take part in the choreography for the medley segment but stood near the piano to sing together with the rest of my choir. It felt strange but at least I got to sing with them.
All of us put in a lot of effort for this concert since it was the inaugural concert by the "best" youth choirs of the Catholic churches in Singapore. However, it takes a certain type of audience to appreciate the organ recital because pipe organ music is not easy to fully understand. I am far from this level of appreciation. Also, opening and closing prayers were missing from the agenda. There was a big boo-boo from the emcee too, when he did not realise that his microphone had not yet been turned off, and he spoke as if it had been. The audience heard what he muttered. Nonetheless, there was positive enthusiasm from the other choirs who participated with us. They want to hold another concert again. Even the Archbishop requested to be the guest-of-honour for the next concert. :))
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