The Malaymail May 3rd, 2010 - By Amir HafiziSINGING 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.
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.
