KUCHING: St Joseph’s Private Secondary School (SJPSS) Choir Club recently won Gold B in the Secondary category at the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod (MCE) National Virtual Choir and Vocal Festival 2021.
SJPSS Choir Club scored a total mark of 85.00 and achieved the second runner-up spot in the Secondary category after Sam Tet Voices (89.33, Gold B) and Chung Ling High School Private Choir (88.33, Gold B).
Following SJPSS Choir Club were CLHS Choir Club (81.00, Gold C), Jit Sin Independent High School Choir (80.33, Gold C) and Tsun Jin High School Girls Choir (80.00, Gold C).
It was indeed a momentous and proud occasion for SJPSS Choir Club.
The festival was conducted through Zoom over the course of three days from June 25 to 27, with choirs from all over Malaysia taking part.
Many workshops were held throughout the festival, including those on choral conducting, composition and arrangements.
In addition, there was sharing by prominent choral conductors, musicians, and arrangers in Malaysia. Participants also learned singing and choral techniques shared by professional musicians.
Benedict Lo, teacher-in-charge of SJPSS Choir Club, congratulated all the choir club members for reaching this significant milestone in Malaysian choral tradition.
He said some members, who were new to the choir this year, did exceptionally well in this competition.
“In SJPSS Choir, we nurture young people’s personal growth through high-level choral artistry in an open, cheerful, and nurturing environment.
“Young choristers develop their skills through practice, performance and education, and emerge as confident young adults with a lifelong love of music.
“We hope to have more exciting projects in the future as well as more students join our choir group to continue our choral adventure,” he said.
SJPSS Choir Club members also shared their experience of taking part in the MCE festival.
“I had a great time participating in this MCE programme. I learned many techniques in singing which helped me to improve a lot. I was also excited that I could be part of this choir competition even though it was done virtually,” said Brandon Chan En Hao.
Meanwhile, Angelina Wong Ying Yin described the festival as one of the highlights of the year.
“I’ve learnt a lot during this process. During this competition, I also got closer to my friends because they were a big help in helping me to understand the score and the technical part of the song. I will definitely join next year!” she said.
Bryan Eng Yen Khai believed that the MCE was a very enlightening experience.
“This not only allowed us to gain a bit of recognition but also allowed us to get to know other people who possess the same passion and drive for choral singing. It is also great as we get to assess how we are as a choir in terms of control, harmonies, rhythm and – of course – melodies,” he said.
The winning song of SJPSS Choir Club at MCE 2021, ‘Ini Kenai Ame Amai & Persembahanku’, can be found at https://youtu.be/GNVvjwi9xSw.
The MCE National Virtual Choir and Vocal Festival 2021, Special Festival Concert can be found at https://youtu.be/muro7jCUP6s.
