Just last weekend, the Philharmonic Society of Selangor or glamorously known as ‘The Phil‘ put together a charity concert in aid of the Assunta Palliative Care Centre, AsPaCC; a charitable arm of Assunta Hospital. They held the charity concert at the KLPac, dubbed ‘Heart & Soul 2013.’
The Philharmonic Society of Selangor (est. 1958) is one of the oldest and most established performing arts societies in Malaysia. They’re a community choir, welcoming individuals who love singing.
Frankly we were taken by surprise by The Phil! How every individual is uniquely blended in to give you one of the most breath-taking harmonics and synchronisation within the choir.
The evening started off with a brief introduction of the choir, by choir-mistress Cheryl Teh. The choir members, dressed uniquely in ‘Baba-Nyonya’ outfits made their entrance. AsPaCC Medical Director Dr. Felicia Chang then made a welcome note to the sold out crowd, explaining their mission, vision and what they did best.
The concert started off with a song ‘Without Music,’ giving hope to those who truly believe in the magic of music. What was interesting is, the eldest member of the choir, 81 year-old colon cancer survivor was up next giving a rendition of the famous ‘Abang Beca‘.
Apart from that, the choir had also performed a P.Ramlee medley - Getaran Jiwa, Bunyi Gitar, Malam Bulan Di Pagar Bintang, Bila Larut Malam, Di manakah Ku Cari Ganti and Lagenda bringing a sense of nostalgia and hope that evergreen music will never fade away.
Easing off to the evening was a collection of songs with the ‘Moon Magic Medley‘, as a ‘Moon’ themed event is where the choir first made their debut.
During intermission, Communications and Marketing department of Assunta Hospital had put together booths, from basic health screenings to little rubber duckies.
The concert continued with the women of the choir showing what ‘Girl Power’ is all about with “Dreamgirl’s-like’ performances of ‘Heart & Soul‘ and ‘You To Me Are Everything’. The men gave an equally solid response with their solo performances of evergreen songs from Tom Jones to Cliff Richard.
As the evening almost came to an end, a Gershwin Showcase of songs had the crowd on their feet begging for an encore! The encore was worthwhile as they belted ‘Loco-motion‘ and ‘Thank You For The Music‘ much to the approval of the crowd.
It was heartwarming to see so many people appreciate what the Phil had put together; having practised for days on end whilst juggling work. It showed us hope, dedication and pride in what they believed in.
We really thank you for the music!