The Operafest Children's Choir is a Malaysian vocal groupfor young girls. The area of expertise of this choir over its contemporaries isthe adaptation of the musical arrangement of the songs by the group’s coordinator,popularly known as ‘Mrs Kam’. Upon first listening to the melodies, one becomesaware of a shift from the original versions of the songs the group covers. Withan experience of 20 years, and a continuous change of faces, the choir strivesto exemplify and amplify the voice from Asia. The bubbly children ranging fromages 7 to 16, have been captivating audiences across Australia, Southeast Asia,China, Europe, Africa, North and South America, and have now succeeded at doingthe same in Goa.
The coordinator of the group, Y S Tho, shares his viewsabout this talented lot of children, “The beauty of our choir is that it is notthe just the voices that are kept in focus. The children do not just standstill and sing (as in most choirs) but dance and act as well. This againhighlights their distinct speciality, as it showcases the versatility of theyoung group.” The four-day programme that was held across the state includedexcerpts from Bizet’s Opera ‘Carmen’ that was woven into a story and a uniqueinterpretation of the famous Chinese work, ‘The Yellow River Piano Concerto’where children’s voices supplied the orchestral background to the pianist.
Under the guidance of its conductor and artistic director,Kam Sun-Yoke, the choir was recorded by the British Broadcasting Corporation inLondon during a special public performance held in the BBC auditorium. “OurOperafest Choir performed jointly with various renowned choirs across theworld, including the Vienna Boys Choir, the Trinity Boys of England, the CzechoslovakiaChildren’s Choir, the Cambridge University Singers, the Juvenalia Choir fromFinland and the Coral Polifonica of Barcelona in Spain,” said Yoke.
The choir is a non-profit group that sustains itselfprimarily through the contributions of the parents of the performers, concertcollections and sponsorships. It is these same contributions that brought themto Goa in 2012, and they hope that the feat could be repeated the followingyear. Tho looks forward to the possible show, stating, “The group has anexcellent time performing in Goa. There is no reason for us to not return in2013. We would love to have a repeat of the show, provided we manage to raisethe funds required.”
