News: Dithyrambic Singers on Song

The Malaymail May 3rd, 2010 - By Amir Hafizi
SINGING IN UNISON: The Dithyrambic Singers should get the recognition and credit that is due to them


Dithyrambic Singers
invited to perform at the presti­gious Carnegie Hall

THE Dithyrambic Singers (DS) may not be a common household name yet. One of the reasons could be their tongue-twisting moniker (dithyrambic basically means wild and boisterous and is also pertaining to dithyramb, an ancient Greek hymn sung in honour of Dionysus - the God of wine and fertility).

Also, their field of classical choir may not be that popular yet with members of the public, but this choir group is making waves already on the interna­tional stage. Most recently, members of the choir were invited to perform at the presti­gious Carnegie Hall by Distinguished Concerts International in New York City (DCINY) to participate in the New York Premiere of the Concert Version of Eric Whitacre's The City and The Sea.

"I was studying last year in the States, my first year in choral conducting at California State University in Los Ange­les, when I went to a masterclass by Eric Whitacre," said the Carnegie Hall trip coordinator and choir member Vincent Kang. "Somehow, I managed to talk to him and he asked for a recording of any choir performances in Malaysia." Kang handed Whitacre, an established musician, a copy of DS' A Choral Journey.

"It's a raw recording, with no remas­tering or tweaking, of our live perfor­mance," said Kang. Well, it worked. Whitacre was im­pressed and got a number of them to be invited to perform by DCINY.

"The Dithyrambic Singers received this invitation because of the quality and high level of musicianship dem­onstrated by the singers and the ex­ceptional recommendations given by Vincent Kang and his choral colleagues," said DCINY artistic director and princi­pal conductor Dr Jonathan Griffith. "It is quite an honour just to be in­vited to perform in Carnegie Hall. These wonderful musicians not only represent a high quality of music and education, but they also become ambassadors for the entire community. This is an event of extreme pride for everybody and de­serving of the community's recognition and support."

A total of 13 DS members made the trip - on their own penny - and were in New York from April 14 to 17 (the concert date). "It was quite a strange and exciting experience," said DS tenor sectional leader and piano accompanist Shah Johan. "The first day of rehearsals, we were not really that comfortable and were unused to the Isaac Stern Audito­rium's acoustics."

"The acoustics were so good, if a pin dropped on stage, you could hear it at the back!" said Kang.

"There's no room for error at all," agreed Johan.

"But Whitacre was nice. He was funny and professional and kind," said Melissa, another member of the choir who made the trip. "He told us the stories for the inspirations of the music, and that was nice."

By the second day, the DS members had already found their feet and deliv­ered a performance to remember at the Isaac Stern Auditorium. The members all related the experience with enthusiasm, yet this is not the first time they have performed at an international stage. In fact, in November 2008, they were crowned Grand Prix Champion at the Busan Choral Festival & Competition in Korea. In July of that year, they won the Gold and became Champion for the Open Mixed Choir, Gold for Folklore A Capella as well as the Grand Final Special Jury Prize at the 21st Century International Choral Festival in Suzhou, China.

For a full list of their achievements, go to their blog at http://dithyrambic-singers.blogspot.com/.

The choir was the brainchild of Ian Lim Kean Seng who is now DS choral artistic director and conductor. DS re­cruits young choir singers from colleges and universities. They also perform oc­casionally at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) as well in events. Despite classical choir not being something that is as popular as say, mainstream music, indie bands or even classical music, which has a regular ven­ue, the members of DS has a positive outlook on things, no doubt boosted by their recent trip to Carnegie Hall.

"I think that what we need would probably be a show or a carnival for classical choir," said Kang. "A festival for classical choir, held somewhere in town, maybe at DFP."

Well, if they can get to Carnegie Hall, maybe it's time we open up DFP for groups such as DS to show Malaysia what the world has been recognising all this while.

Newsletter from DCINY

Distinguished Concerts Singers International in an all-Whitacre program on April 17. Whitacre conducted the program of his music on April 17.

International Spotlight: Dithyrambic Singers Perform with Eric Whitacre Distinguished Concerts Singers International is comprised of singers from all over the world, and we were privileged recently to have the Dithyrambic Singers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, grace our stage. The Dithyrambic Singers performed in an all-Whitacre program along with over 360 singers in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall, on April 17. It was a weekend filled with many eye-opening moments, thanks to Whitacre's insights into his work, and the performance was truly one of the best concerts that DCINY has produced. Wrote Vincent Kang, co-director, about the group's experience: "The rehearsals with Mr. Whitacre have helped our group understand the music better, and making music with him was immensely gratifying. Singing Whitacre's best chorale compositions at Carnegie Hall was truly a dream come true." Eric Whitacre's the city & the sea Premieres with DCINY On April 17, in an all-Whitacre program, DCINY presented the World Premiere of Eric Whitacre's the city & the sea. The work, created as part of the DCINY Premiere Project, is based on the poetry of ee cummings. Whitacre turned five of cummings' poems into five pieces, and they were all sung together in one choral cycle. No stranger to setting poems to music, Whitacre has created works from the writings of many great poets. He took Ogden Nash's short, witty poems about animals and set them to music, resulting in his popular Animal Crackers Volumes I and II. Likewise, several works by Octavio Paz have become his A Boy and a Girl, Little Birds, Cloudburst and Water Night. Rudyard Kipling's Seal Lullaby has also been set to Whitacre's stirring music. All of these pieces appeared on the concert , and the city & the sea received a warm welcome into the choral repertoire. Eric Whitacre to Appear with DCINY in 2011 Following a concert of his music in Carnegie Hall on April 17, DCINY is pleased to announce that composer Eric Whitacre will return to the DCINY Concert Series twice in 2011. Auditions are now being accepted for performances on April 10, 2011 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City and on June 25, 2011 in Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Spaces are limited-- audition today!

News: Night of Enchanting Vocals

The Star May 15, 2010

Musical ProperGanda

co-organiser
UCSI University & Dithyrambic Singers

CROWD favourites such as Pak Ngah’s Keranamu Malaysia, classics by Chopin and Mozart as well as songs from well-loved operas like La Boheme and Le Nozze di Figaro were given a fresh rendition at the Properganda Musical, co-organised by the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall Choir, UCSI University and the Dithyrambic Singers.

The musical, under the artistic direction of Ian Lim Kean Seng starred UCSI University alumni Bui Yik Ling, Shah Johan Shahridzuan, Rachel Tan Cheng Suan and Tay Chai Ying. The musical featured opera arias from The Old Maid, Thief and Faust, operatic scenes from Die Lustige Witwe, La Traviata, and powerful vocal solos, duets and quartets from various other operas.

Classic number: Guest performer, Terence Au Eng Yee (far right), performing alongside Rachel Tan, Shah Johan, Nickson Choong, Stephan Chang and Ang Joonkie in an operatic scene entitled ‘Quando me’n vo’. A few classic Chinese opera numbers were also blended into the mix, among them the memorable Ala Muhan from a Xin Jiang folk song, performed by Lim Huey Hsiang, Karen Tan, Shah Johan, Ang Joonkie with Tay on the piano.

After the intermission, the Dithyrambic Singers performed Saloma’s Di Mana Suara Burung Kenari, to the delight of the crowd.

The Dithyrambic Singers, comprising mostly UCSI University music students, are one of Malaysia’s leading choral ensembles, having made appearances at various international events, including the 2008 Busan Choral Festival and Competition in South Korea, the 1st Asian Choir Games in Indonesia (2007) and at the 21st Century International Choral Festival, Oriental Concentus in China.

A week before the Properganda musical, the group was invited to the Distinguished Concert in New York, and performed under the direction of Eric Whitcare at Carnegie Hall.

The Musical Properganda featured some of the best vocals from among the performers and great musical expressions for the operatic arias and scenes that delighted the crowd. All the four main performers were under the tutelage of UCSI University lecturers and have been awarded scholarships to pursue their Masters in Vocal Performance and Piano Accompaniment at the Birmingham Conservatoire in the United Kingdom.