Renowned Sam Tet Brass Band staged a splendid performance at the Sam Tet School hall, Ipoh recently. Over a thousand attended the show which was graced by Dato’ Dr Majumder, Rev Father Stephen Liew, Sam Tet Chairman of the Board of Governors, principal of Sam Tet School, Lau Swee Mun and guest composers Mitsuo Nonami from Japan and Tang Chin Hoe.
The Sam Tet Brass Band is essentially a marching band established in February 1973. It plays a complete range of wind and percussion instruments. The band consists of 65 members and is currently led by Ng Wai Kin, a student of the school. It has gained much popularity over the years and today is regarded as one of the premier school bands in Perak.
The Saturday performance was aptly named “Harmonious Enchantment” befitting the band’s stature and popularity. Some of the musical numbers played during the evening show were ‘Beyond the Riverband’, ‘Eline Kleine’, ‘Abba Gold’ and local favourites, ‘Rasa Sayang’ and ‘Ulek Mayang’.
And present to conduct the musical outfit throughout the evening were Lam Chee Choong, a former Sam Tet student and current music director of the band and student Foong Chen Kit. Both are accomplished musicians in their own right.
The primary objective of the concert was to upgrade the quality of the musical instruments. It was an eventful evening as the audience got to witness a first class live performance and the school got what it wanted in terms of funding. Some RM100,000 was collected through donations and fund drives.
A combined concert with an established musical ensemble from Japan is scheduled for December. This will be the climax of the brass band’s busy year.
RM
