KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2007 - University College Sedaya International (UCSI) held its inaugural Alumni Concert 2007 which is also its 17th Annual Concert on the 7th and 8th July 2007. This concert highlighted UCSI’s acclaimed alumni: including Cheong Yew Choong, the hearing-impaired pianist who won the 2007 International Young Soloist Award presented by VSA Arts, USA, Owen Ho Chee Kin, Overall Champion for the New Millenium Harmonica Festival held in United Kingdom, Isaac Chia Teng Hwa, conductor, composer and arranger, and Dr. Lim Pei Sien, piano soloist.A 170-strong choir comprising all of UCSI’s School of Music students put up a superb performance by delivering the powerful and poignant Carmina Burana by German composer, Carl Orff. 

The first alumnifeatured, was Dr. Lim Pei Sien who played the Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 16 by Edvard Grieg. This was followed by the versatile Owen Ho Chee Kin who rearranged songs from 3 different composers on harmonica. He played Flight of the Bumble Bee from Nikolai-Rimsky-Korsakov, Kiss Goodbye by Wang Lee Hom and Carmen Fandyssey by George Bizet. For his last song, he played both the piano as well as the harmonica simultaneously. 

The UCSI Chamber Choir came on next and sang the sweet yet sorrowful, Come Away, Sweet Love by Thomas Greaves as well as Dahil Saiyo by Miguel Volarelo Jr.Pianist Cheong Yew Choong though completely deaf in his right ear and has less than 50% hearing in his left ear, played Fireworks from Preludes Bk II from Claude Debussy and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 by Franz List like a maestro. His technical mastery of both songs is testimony of his belief that, “If I have the passion (for music), nothing is impossible.” 

A group of alumni backed by the UCSI Orchestra performed Green Tea: Concert Suite for Violin, Piano, Synthesizer and Orchestra led by alumni Isaac Chia. This suite was played melodiously and expressively. 

The UCSI Choir again came on stage and brought the concert to a roaring close by singing the power-packed El Matador written by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. It made the audience clap and sway to the foot-thumping song which was accompanied by both the modern band and full orchestra. 

The smiles, tapping feet and deafening applause of the audience was testimony enough that the concert was a resounding success.

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