KUCHING — The results and testimonies from the choir club members of SJPSS (St Joseph’s Private Secondary School) show that hard work and dedication always pay off.
“Our school’s SJPSS Choir Club participated in the MCE National Virtual Choir and Vocal Festival 2021 through the application Zoom. It was a three-day long festival from 25–27 June 2021. Choirs from all over Malaysia took part in this festival.
There were a lot of workshops throughout the festival. These included workshops such as choral conducting, composition and arrangements which gave us a view into the world of choral conducting, choosing the right songs for our choir as well as some sharing from prominent choral conductors, musicians and arrangers in Malaysia. We also learnt singing and choral techniques shared by an amazing pool of professional musicians. Other than that, we had fun interacting and bonding with one of the choirs from Penang, Choir SMJK Chung Ling Butterworth.
During the Closing and Award Ceremony, our school choir club was announced as second runner-up in the Gold B, Secondary category, with a total mark of 85.00. It was a momentous occasion for the whole choir. We were proud and glad as our efforts had made that moment possible. With that, the festival soon came to an end.” ~ Olivia Lau & Charlotte Lee
Point standing:
89.33 Gold B – Sam Tet Voices
88.33 Gold B – Chung Ling High School Private Choir
85.00 Gold B – SJPSS Choir
81.00 Gold C – CLHS Choir Club
80.33 Gold C – Jit Sin Independent High School Choir
80.00 Gold C – Tsun Jin High School Girls Choir
Congratulations from teacher Benedict Lo
“Congratulations to all Choir Club members for reaching this significant milestone in Malaysian choral tradition. Some of you are new to the choir this year and have done 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 practise, 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.”
Winning song of SJPS at MCE – SJPS INI KENAI AME AMAI & PERSEMBAHANKU
MCE National Virtual Choir and Vocal Festival 2021 – Special Festival Concert
What other choir members say
“I had a great time participating in this MCE programme. During this period of time, I had learnt 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.” ~ Brandon Chan En Hao
“MCE choir festival was certainly one of the highlights of the year and I’ve learnt a lot during this process. It was really hard recording at home especially with the restrictions of good lighting and camera but it all paid off and it was worth it. During this competition, I also got to get closer with 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!” ~ Angelina Wong Ying Yin
“Yet another rewarding experience with the most amazing and talented people I’ve ever known. To Mr Ben & Ms Ivy, thank you for being a strong foundation for all of us and for believing in us. To all my choir members, thank you for sharing this experience with me, the struggles and the joy as well. It hasn’t been an easy one but for now, I could say that we’ve all done our best (including our teachers) and all deserve a pat on the back.” ~ Joycelyn Hon Xin Ning
“Personally I believe that the Malaysian Choir Eisteddfod is a very enlightening experience as it allowed us as a choir to participate in a local competition. This not only allowed us to gain a bit of recognition, it allowed us to get to know other people who possess the same passion and drive for choral singing as well. 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.” ~ Bryan Eng Yen Khai
“The recent MCE has been a valuable experience for me. I got to learn many new things and meet new people. It was amazing to see the passion that our choir and other participants have put into this competition. I hope that I will be able to join more events like this in the future.” ~ Joyce Singai anak Dickson
