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A musical interlude - the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra

INTERVIEW This is a departure for me and hopefully there will be many more. What I am attempting to do with these series of articles is highlight the contributions of Malaysians when it comes to culture and art in this country. I am especially interested in projects and organisations that nurture young talent.

Please feel free to contact me through Malaysiakini, if you want to talk about what your organisation is doing in creating an environment where people express themselves. It can be anything from traditional dance, photography, anything - even specific religious or cultural - endeavours that contribute to Malaysian culture.

We kick off this series with an interview with Chan Ling Chee, the founder and music director of the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO). Having seen the young performers at work, I am impressed by the passion and yes, the talent that Chan and his team have managed to harness.

Young people join the SPO for a variety of reasons and not all of them see the organisation as a stepping-stone to a professional career.

As one young musician said, “Fact is, the majority of musicians want to have a career in music. But for me the answer is no. I very much enjoy being a musician by weekend/night and a having a professional career by day. I find that my day job is what supports my musical activities. And I would like to keep my musical interest as a hobby which keep me happy and passionate.”

Another young participant describes the ethos of the SPO - “SPO is a non-profit organisation, we don’t play music for money but to enjoy the music. We share the music with others and to let people know that classical music isn’t just an old music but music to stick all of us together.”

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