The Recital, June 21, 2013

The recital which I have been planning since the beginning of this year finally took place last Friday, June 21, 2013. A good date since June 21 marked the exact date that I arrived in Brunei 6 years ago (a coincidence which I happen to realize later on) so what better way to commemorate the day that I took the courage to accept a job offer overseas at 24 than to hold a recital, right? The event featured some of my outstanding students (to my standard, at least) as young as 6 years old with repertoires of standard Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20^th Century music. Although it has been a very busy week (or month) for both me and my students (there was a pedagogy class in KL on the 15^th, violin exams last May, Malaysian Youth Music Festival in September and my students had school exams and tons of other things that proved to be more important than attending violin classes) it was a well-applauded night and everyone was unforgettable with his or her own performance. It was a modest event held at Expression Music, Brunei. We cleared out my boss’s office, set the glass wall aside and dragged her Steinway to a suitable corner and voila! a stage. Present during the recital were parents, some of my students’ friends and some more students whom I insist to watch. 

The soloists: Evan Chiam (Cossack Dance, Onn Jia Yi (Gypsy Rondo), Andrei Skinner (Fiddle Time Runners), Ruby Lim (Seitz Concerto No. 3), Zhi Yi (Fiddle Time Joggers), Kayla Ho (Winter, Etude, La Cinquantaine, Yu Shian, Etc.. 

The Advanced Players: Yolanda (Spring 1st and 3rd movement), May Cho (Summer 1st and 3rd Movement), Shian Li Chiam (Winter, 2nd and 3rd Movement) all are violin concerto's by Antonio Vivaldi 

A Group performance of Paldini's Theme and Variation.

To end the night with a bang, Wolgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondo alla Turca arranged for 3 violins and a piano by Benjamin Zamora, III

All photos are by our drums teacher, Arthur John Menguito