JPO Chamber Music Concert - Jennifer Hsu (Flutist)

Jennifer Hsu Hui Ling has won the best Performing Art Award for her graduation in Junior High School. This Award has given her the fundamental courage to pursue her dream in music. She studied at The Taiwan National Art and Music School, majoring in both piano and flute. 

In year 1995, she was accepted by the Adelaide Conservatorium of Adelaide University to study bachelor degree of performing Arts. In that year, she had her first oversea solo recital in both piano and flute at Adelaide Elder Hall. She was assigned to learn from the famous Australian musician Zedenke Bruderhunz and Louise Delliet.

In year 1997, she was awarded the scholarship from Adelaide University to participate in the Australian Chamber Music Camp. At the same year, She had performed the Mozart Flute Concerto with the Adelaide Wind Ensemble, and she also played as first flautist for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Upon her graduation, she was awarded the Outstanding Musical Performer Prize.

After graduation in year 1999, Jennifer Hsu returned to her home town Zhongli at Taiwan. She was offered a lecturer post with Sheng De Christian College. She was appointed as Music Director in the Taiwan Zhong Li Truth Church and performed many times on Taiwan Christian Channel Good TV. In year 2003, she released an Album of solo flute music entitled “ Heart and Soul” in Taiwan.

Upon moving to Kota Kinabalu in year 2003, She was appointed as Flute lecturer in Music and performing arts faculty at University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Sabah Institute of Arts (SIA). In year 2007, She played both flute and piano in a Concert called “Friends in Concert” with 3 other famous musicians. in year 2013,with the other two famous Musician set up a chamber music group called GRAJEDA TRIO and had their first chamber music concert at Yayasan Sabah Tun Humdan Theatre. In year 2014, Performances include soloist with Prof. Mathias Boegner for the Bach Brandenburg concert and the JPO Christmas out-reach concert in December. In year 2015, perform in the chamber group GRAJENDA TRIO in August.

Despite her busy teaching and frequent performance, Jennifer Hsu also very actively involved with church's musical performance and worship ministry. At the moment, she is working on the recording of her self composed Christian songs album which expected will be release by next year. Truly She wish to use her musical gift to glorify the God!

JPO Chamber Music Concert - David Chin (Clarinetist)

David Chin started studying clarinet at age 10, and graduated from Darwin High School in 1993 awarded the best musician in class. That year, David also won a Rotary scholarship to attend the Pan Pacific International music camp and subsequent tour of New Zealand.

Although working as an environmental chemist since graduating in 1996, David has stayed actively involved with music. David has held positions of clarinet/bass clarinet and saxophone with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 2001, premiering works from Australian composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards and Nicholas Routley. This also allowed him to study with visiting clarinettists Alan Vivian, Mark Walton and Duncan Abercromby.

Since 1992, David has also been a member of the Australian Army Band Darwin as a clarinet/saxophone/tuba player. Highlights included playing for HRH the Prince Philip as well as supporting artists such as Marina Pryor, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Vanessa Amorosi, Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy.

During the 90’s, David was also a founding member of the Palm-erston Concert Band, Divertimenti Wind Quintet, John Young Sax Quar-tet and NTU Big Band. Prior to leaving his homeland to settle in Kota Kinabalu, in 2009 David was a founding member of the Hot & Cold Big Band, a unique group of local musicians who ‘rehearse’ on the gig, cul-minating in a full concert of swing music with the Australian Jazz clari-nettist Andy Firth. Since relocating to KK in 2010, David has been in-volved with the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra.

JPO Chamber Music Concert - Amadeus Tan (Pianist)

Amadeus Tan is an aspiring musician who is a holder of the Trinity Associate Diploma in Piano Performance.  He has attended the Overseas Masters Winter Piano Academy 2014 at Yehudi Menuhin School of Music led by Malaysian pianist, Bobby Chen.  He recently participated at the Asian International Piano and Festival 2016 in EWHA Womans University, South Korea, where he was awarded the bronze award in the solo open category.

His father, Dominic Tan, an accomplished pianist, was his mentor during his formative years.  Apart from his Dad, he also owes his appreciation to Malaysian Pianist Grace Lee Sui Lin, British Prof Murray McLachlan, Australian Prof Leslie Howard, Russian Prof Mikhail Kazakevich, Taiwanese Prof Nam Yeung, and Korean Prof So-Yeon Yang.  Amadeus was the Lead Flutist for the Sabah Boys’ Brigade Band, the former Sabah Boys’ Brigade Band Choir Director, and recently a panel judge for the Brigade Star event.

Amadeus has been under the tutelage of his mother, Debra Ann  in teaching piano to students of all ages. He is also an apprentice of Audrey Chin in training the very young in acquiring the musical skills of rhythm, melody, and dynamics from as early as 3-years of age.  He is currently the pianist for the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra. Amadeus believes that music is a force that brings all people together.

JPO Chamber Music Concert - Theophilus Tan (Pianist)

Theophilus has been raised up in the culture & environment of a musician in his young days, as both of his parents are accomplished musicians. He has slowly learned, harnessed, & encourages himself to enjoy the beauty & sweetness of music unlike his younger days where he thought it was a duty & chore to him. Music is now his joy & passion, & has become a lifestyle & enjoyment to him. He has developed a distinctive ear for the sounds, pitch, &, tones of music, & aspires to work towards improving in his gift of hearing.

He has scored a distinction for his “ABRSM Grade 8” piano exam. With an astounding high distinction, he has been invited to perform at the “ABRSM High Scorers” concert back in November 2015.  He teaches piano & the guitar, & is currently sitting for his guitar  & ATCL piano diploma exam next year.

He has an excellent ear, which has given him a boost to do sound recording/mixing for his church events. He has done a ‘music scoring’ for his church’s ‘behind-the-scenes’ video in 2016, & aspires to excel in this field of music.

He has been selected for an intensive masterclass course at the “Yehudi Menuhin School” in UK, which will be held this year in December.  Apart from teaching music, he also works with his mum to run a centre, which prepares private students for higher education.

JPO Chamber Music Concert - Chong Fong Yee (Cellist)

Chong Fong Yee started her piano lesson at the age of 5. She picks up cello as her second instrument when she entered University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) at the age of 19. 

During her years in UMS, she has joined the gamelan group, AgungBeat, founder of Roslie Haji Wahid, also a lecturer of UMS. The group have performed in the Rainforest Music Festival in year 2011, the Johor Bahru Music Festival in year 2012 and 2013. 

During her practical in her final year, she chose to study the cello under National Symphony Orchestra and worked as a helper in the Permata Seni Music Program. After graduation, she joined the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra.

JPO Chamber Music Concert Press Release

The Borneo Post

The Daily Express

华侨日报| Overseas Chinese Daily News

Kota Kinabalu String Music Festival 2015 (3rd Edition) - 14th - 16th September

Photos taken during Kota Kinabalu String Music Festival 2014 (2nd Edition)

The Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) is proud and honored to present the Third Edition of the Kota Kinabalu String Music Festival (KKSMF), which will be held over 3 days from the 14th until the 16th of September, 2015.  The KKSMF was organized in conjunction with the celebration of Malaysia Day.  

Due to the overwhelming response and success of the first festival which was held two years ago, and the even greater success of last year’s second festival, the JPO has once again taken the initiative to organize this festival to continue its mission of enriching the musical landscape of Kota Kinabalu.

JPO would like to warmly thank our sponsors for their generous support and financial assistance.  These include an anonymous donor, and also Prelude Music Sdn Bhd and The Sabah Art Gallery. 

Venue:

This festival will be held at the Sabah Art Gallery (SAG).  JPO is again grateful to SAG for providing this magnificent venue for the festival.

Program and Events:

The KKSMF will feature many string workshops and master classes, and two concerts on the final day.

Objectives of the Festival:

1.  To bring together children/students from all different walks of life who all have the common interest of improving their level of playing and sharing their common interest of playing a string instrument.

2.  To provide workshops and other programs that are designed to cater for the different levels of playing a string instrument, from elementary to advance level.

3.  To increase the awareness of the intrinsic value of string music where people can learn to appreciate the beauty it brings.

4.  To bring about integration amongst different communities and to outreach to the underprivileged by providing these workshops and programs for them.

Participating Groups:

The participating groups include members and students of the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School String Ensemble, Kian Kok String Orchestra, JPO Training Orchestra, Jesselton String Program, Kota Marudu Skycommunity Strings Orchestra, Sabah Institute of Art, UMS and Eastern College.

Concerts:

1. Festival Concert - Collaboration of JPO and SAG

Date:  16th of September, 2015

Venue:  Sabah Art Gallery

Time:  2:00 pm

Ticket Price:  FOC

A performance extravaganza free to the public to attend!   Featuring all of the participating groups demonstrating some of the best of what is learned and offered at KKSMF.  

2.  “Back to the Future” Concert – Featuring Yap Ling & Friends, .

Date:  16th of September, 2015

Venue:  Sabah Art Gallery

Time:  7:30 pm

Price:  RM30 for public tickets, Festival Participants FOC.

This concert was envisaged a few years ago when a group of past and present students wanting to perform together with their fellow musician friends and teacher. Over the years, we have started planning and managed to find a suitable time of the year to make this a possibility. The primary objective of this concert is to share what we all love with as many people as possible and at the same time having fun collaborating together in the name of music. Most importantly, we are also doing this for the purpose of charity. In this case, the Educational Outreach.

The title “Back to the Future” is used because the whole group consists of present & past students and pianists who accompanied Yap Ling. Performers: Yap Ling (violin/viola), Yap Qin (violin), Yap Yi (cello), Grace Lee (piano), Joshua Tang (violin), Teck Wan Teng (viola), Chong Eugene (Cello), Lisa Chia (violin), Lee Chan Ning (violin), James Lau (Harp), Hu Wei Ung (oboe).

Opening the concert is the Schumann Piano Quintet in Eb featuring Yap Ling's family and Lee Chan Ning. Yap Ling and friends will end the concert with Mendelssohn's vibrant Octet in Eb.

Workshops and Master classes:

Throughout the 3 days of the festival, the participants will be attending free workshops where they will have the opportunity to learn with a renowned experienced international teaching faculty. The workshops are designed to cater to all different levels of playing levels from elementary to advanced.

In Closing:

Everyone is warmly welcomed to watch any of the programs that are arranged at the venue.  The only fee is for the Back To the Future concert, with tickets to the general public at only RM30.  The participants within the festival are encouraged to attend this concert, free of charge.   As of this writing, there are over 210 participants confirmed!

Thank you all for your kind support, and together we shall make the Third Edition Kota Kinabalu String Music Festival an enjoyable and memorable experience for all those involved!

KOTA KINABALU STRING MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015, EDISI KETIGA 14hb sehingga 16hb September 2015.

Gambar yang diambil semasa the Kota Kinabalu String Festival 2014 (Edisi Kedua)

Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) dengan bangganya dan berbesar hati untuk mempersembahkan Kota Kinabalu String Music Festival (KKSMF) Edisi ke 3, yang akan diadakan selama 3 hari bermula daripada 14th hingga 16th September, 2015. KKSMF akan dianjurkan sempena dengan sambutan Hari Malaysia.

Disebabkan dua program yang telah dianjurkan oleh JPO selama dua tahun berturut-turut telah diadakan dengan jayanya dan mendapat sambutan yang agak menggalakkan, pihak JPO bercadang untuk menganjurkan sekali lagi pesta KKSMF ini. Tujuan JPO menganjurkan program KKSMF ini adalah untuk mencapai misi bagi memperkenalkan dan menarik minat orang ramai di dalam perkembangan industri muzik Kota Kinabalu.

JPO  juga ingin mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi ribuan terima kasih kepada semua penaja yang bermurah hati memberi bantuan dari segi kewangan termasuklah penderma tanpa nama dan juga Prelude Music Sdn Bhd dan Galeri Seni Sabah.

Tempat:

Festival ini akan berlansung di Sabah Art Gallery (SAG).  JPO sekali lagi berterima kasih kepada SAG kerana membenarkan dan menyediakan tempat untuk festival ini.

Agenda :

KKSMF akan mempamerkan bengkel alat tali (string) dan dua konsert pada hari kemuncak.

Objektif Festival:

1.Untuk mendekatkan masyarakat yang terdiri daripada pelbagai lapisan dan umur seperti kanak-kanak, dewasa, orang tua dan pelajar sekolah bagi memperbaiki dan meningkatkan tahap permainan alat muzik mereka seperti permainan alat tali

2. Untuk menganjurkan program dan bengkel bermain alat muzik tali bagi memperbaiki tahap kemahiran yang bermula dari peringkat asas sehingga ke peringkat professional

3. Untuk memberi kesedaran kepada pelbagi lapisan masyarakat dan juga secara tidak langsung dapat menanam nilai minat dalam muzik tali pada diri mereka di mana mereka akan lebih menghargai keunikan alat muzik tersbut.

4. Untuk membantu golongan kurang bernasib baik yang terdiri daripada pelbagai integrasi masyarakat berbilang kaum dengan menyediakan bengkel dan program pembelajaran untuk mereka

Peserta dan kumpulan yang akan turut serta dalam festival ini:

Peserta akan terdiri daripada anggota dan pelajar daripada Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School String Ensemble, Kian Kok String Orchestra, JPO Training Orchestra, Jesselton String Program, Kota Marudu Skycommunity Strings Orchestra, Sabah Institute of Art, UMS and Eastern College.

Persembahan:

1. Konsert Festival 

Tarikh              : September 16, 2015

Tempat             : Galeri Seni Sabah

Masa                : 2.00 petang

Harga Tiket     : Percuma

Persembahan ekstravaganza adalah percuma bagi sesiapa yang menghadiri Festival Konsert tersebut. Persembahan ini akan menampilkan kesemua peserta yang akan menunjukkan apa yang mereka telah pelajari dan ikuti sepanjang di dalam program KKSFM tersebut

2. Konsert “Back to the Future’- Memaparkan ‘Yap Ling & Friends’.

Tarikh              : September 16, 2015

Tempat            : Sabah Art Gallery

Masa                : 7.30pm

Harga              : RM30 untuk orang awam

                        (Peserta festival adalah percuma) 

Konsert ini telah dirancang beberapa tahun yang lalu oleh sekumpulan pelajar yang ingin membuat persembahan bersama-sama dengan rakan pemuzik dan tenaga pengajar. Selama bertahun, kami telah merancang dan akhirnya kami berjaya mencari masa yang sesuai untuk melaksanakan program ini.

Objektif utama konsert ini adalah untuk berkongsi ilmu pengetahuan dan minat bersama-sama dengan orang ramai di samping dapat mendedahkan kepada semua tentang keseronokan bersama-sama dalam bermain music. Selain daripada itu, konsert ini juga adalah merupakan satu program amal yang bertujuan untuk mendapatkan kutipan amal (charity).

Tajuk “Back to the Future” digunakan kerana seluruh kumpulan terdiri daripada pengiring piano dan pelajar sekarang  dan lepas Mr. Yap Ling. Penghibur: Yap Ling (violin/ viola), Yap Qin (violin), Yap Yi (cello), Grace Lee (piano), Joshua Tang (violin), Teck Wan Teng (viola), Chong Eugene (Cello), Lisa Chia ( violin) , Lee Chan Ning (violin), James Lau (Harp), Hu Wei Ung (oboe).

Pembukaan konsert adalah Schumann Piano Quintet in Eb menampilkan keluarga Yap Ling dan Lee Chan Ning. “Yap Ling end friends” akan mengakhiri persembahan dengan Mendelssohn’s vibrant Octet in Eb.

Bengkel dan Kelas Induk:

            Selama 3 hari festival ini, peserta akan menghadiri bengkel secara percuma dimana mereka akan mendapat peluang mempelajari dan merasai cara pembelajaran di fakulti antarabangsa yang tekemuka.

Penutup:

            Kehadiran orang ramai amat dialu-alukan untuk menonton program tersbut. Bayaran untuk menyertai konsert “Back to the Future” kepada orang ramai adalah sebanyak RM30.

Peserta yang terlibat dalam program KKSFM adalah PERCUMA dan kedatangan pihak yang terlibat dalam program KKSFM amatlah digalakkan. Dijangkakan kehadiran peserta yang akan menyertai program ini adalah seramai 240 peserta.

Setinggi-tinggi ucapan penghargaan terima kasih kepada anda semua di atas kerjasama dan  sokongan serta galakkan yang telah diberikan untuk menjayakan program ini. Diharapkan KKSFM Edisi Ketiga ini dapat meninggalkan memori indah yang tidak dapat dilupakan dan impak positif di dalam diri setiap peserta yang terlibat.

For tickets reservation please CLICK HERE!