Imran Azim Iskandar, a young violinist who has recently made a name for himself on the international stage, won several categories in the World Championships of Performing Arts in California. The 17-year-old revealed that he has always been drawn to the harmonious tones of the violin.
Young violinist shares how it all began
Growing up in a musical environment, Imran Azim Iskandar revealed that his endeavour as a violinist today stems from his musically inclined family.
With his whole life centred on music, he recently made a name for himself in the international arena at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in California.
“I felt blessed, and I didn’t expect to win any medals because the other participants were extremely powerful and intimidating. Furthermore, there were contestants who had previously competed in WCOPA, whereas this was my first time.”
Imran was one of Malaysia’s 11 representatives. The 17-year-old had earned a gold medal for the Classical genre and the champion for the World Award. He also won a silver medal for Contemporary and Original Works, as well as a bronze medal for Jazz Open.
As a first-time WCOPA winner, he expressed gratitude to his parents, who have been there for him since the beginning.
“They have been a pillar of strength in my journey to this international arena of performing arts. All of this would not be possible without them. I also want to thank my family, friends, and school for always being supportive of my work.”
The musical prodigy
During an interview with New Sarawak Tribune, the lad revealed that his father, a composer and music studio engineer who is also passionate about music, has encouraged him to be who he is today.
“My father first introduced me to music when he taught me to play the piano, but I was uninterested in the instrument. However, everything changed after I witnessed an orchestra performance at Dataran Sibu in 2015.”
As he felt at peace listening to the melodious sound of the violin at the orchestra, Imran became inspired to become a violinist someday.
“I was blown away by the performance, and it was then that I decided to take up the violin because of its unique sounds.”
Imran had told his parents after the performance eight years ago that he wanted a violin for his birthday.
“I began seriously playing the instrument the day I got it in 2015. I was so interested in the violin that I quickly mastered it.”
Thus began his journey with the musical instrument. His favourite tunes? He revealed that it can be any jazz standard song, such as “Spain” by Chick Corea or “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck.
Though he had a tremendous desire to learn the violin, he shared that his ambitions to become a violinist were nearly derailed in the beginning.
Imran, who was born and raised in Sibu, Sarawak, has expressed difficulty in finding the right violin teacher.
“It was one of the challenges that I encountered when I chose to take up the violin. There weren’t many violin teachers around here. I was very fortunate to come across Thomas Music School, and my first teacher was Wong Ping Hang. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for him,” he said.
Career as a violinist
Imran spent an hour every day practising the violin. Prior to the WCOPA, he would practise three hours each day for five months.
Though juggling his passion for the violin and his school schedule was hard, he said that his efforts had paid off.
“I wanted to practise more since I didn’t think I had done enough, but I also needed to concentrate on my studies as I will be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination this year. I needed to balance my violin career with my school-related obligations.
“This has been the most difficult thing for me to do in the past few months. It is a tiring process, but if you love it and have an interest in it, you will not feel a thing. You’ll get better every time,” he said.
Imran also plays the piano and the saxophone in addition to the violin. A self-taught saxophonist, he said that one month after learning to play the wind instrument, he took the risk of performing in public at the ‘The Stage’ event held in Sibu Esplanade.
Although a solo violinist career was something he had considered, he now wants to focus more on music education.
“It is my dream to become a music director for an orchestra or entertainment organisation in both Malaysia and the United States.”
Follow his journey as a violinist on his social media accounts, @imranazimviolinist.
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imranazimviolinist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imranazimviolinist/
