A Delightful Evening in a Court House

Joy of Songs Choral Concert ~ 2 December 2006
Sarawak Tourism Board Theatre
Organised by IMH Academy

Great title right? It is really the old Kuching Court House from the colonial days of Sarawak. I knew the place had a major renovation sometime ago to turn it into an event centre but I wasn't aware that one of the halls was also converted into a theatre.

Okay, on with the evening at hand. I came early with my missus to find the staffers of IMH Academy, a local music school at the entrance welcoming guests. Their relaxed demeanor somehow assures me of a pleasant evening ahead.

I knew it was a concert of sorts but had no idea what kind since I was invited to just show up at the entrance to collect the tickets. I did however wanted to be delighted with something different and perhaps be enchanted. After what seem like the 'usual' wait, the concert started promptly after a short introduction of the stars of the evening. Pretty good, considering our Malaysian 'culture' of not starting things on time.

Ah, the stars of the evening came from Singapore. They included Evelyn Ang and Fu Shihua, the two lovely ladies with such beautiful voices. They were joined by Danny Wong Ming Guo and Liaw Chuan En, such delightful young chaps. Thorns among the roses I might add.

The music accompaniment was presented by Wynne Lee Yunmei. You will love her, she plays the piano (or was it an organ) with such finesse and poise that would draw music illiterates like me to enjoy the classics at length. By the way, she looks stunning too.

The evening started with the two ladies coming on stage performing "Sound the Trumpet" by H. Purcell. It sounded really good and I quite was impressed with the acoustics of the theatre.

You could say the concert had the air of a recital but somehow it was able to keep the audience delighted and enthralled. The voices were clear and the emotions felt. There must be some truth when people say that one must sing with heartfelt emotions to capture the hearts of the listeners. I can imagine how the singers would sound like when they developed to their full potential. It would be great to be to see another concert with them in the future.

The parts I looked forward to most, were the duets... being a romantic at heart. Well... I wasn't disappointed. Notable ones include "Papageno Duet" and the "Duetto Buffo" which got the audience laughing. The highlight of the evening was when Evelyn sang "Ave Maria", my all time favourite. It was perfectly executed. I would have to demand an encore if it were up to me.

To end the evening on a Christmasy note, the IMH choir gave a brilliant performance of much loved Christmas carols. It was indeed a delightful evening, even the technical glitch causing a blackout didn't dampen the concert and everyone's spirits.

Foggy old Kuching... unusually

Woke up at 0630 (25/11) to attend a wedding, looked out and got these shots. It has been a long while since I last saw morning mist this thick.

Shot a couple more on the way to the wedding. The mist seems to be covering the whole of Kuching. And true to the weather predictions, it was really hot throughout the rest of the day.