Yesterday, at the Choir State Finals, I broke my record for most photographs taken in a continuous session. At the Science & Maths Fair, it was 50 per hour, for a total of 300 in six hours. Yesterday, it was about 80 per hour, totalling some 400+ in five hours. It was so draining, that in the evening, my left arm ached and I couldn't even hold a fist.
Before going any further, allow me to introduce the VI Choir. In the front row, from left, are Adi (conductor, 2003-2004), Shazlan (founding member and coach), Chiam (bass, 2003-2004 if I'm not mistaken), Li-Shia (conductor, 2005-2006), and Stanley (pianist, 2005-2006):
But without an audience, there would only be rehearsals (in the words of MPO Conductor Matthias Bamert). Introducing the supporters, from left; Melody (alto, 2005), Len Yi (alto, 2005), the photographer, Wee Kee (Li-Shia's friend), and Michelle (choir conductor, SMK Taman Melawati):
The choir improved on their dismal season last year with a strong showing to claim Second Place this time around. Convent Bukit Nanas were crowned Champions, boasting what I consider to be a sound vocal arrangement (no pun intended) of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Think of Me and probably the best pianist of the tournament.
But the VI will always be my champions, simply because the VI is famous for doing what no other school ever would: dare to take the road less travelled. The VI's Choir don't just sing; they mesmerise, inspire and uplift. Shazlan wrote their second song, Satu Suara, Satu Hati, Satu Fikiran (also dubbed the 'Triple One'), and I think it is one of the finest songs, not just of this year's competition, but of all the songs I've heard in the last few years.
While other schools sing songs like Do Re Mi and Sing a Song of Sixpence, the VI has been known to programme heavy works like To Those Who Came Before Me and A Heritage of Hope and a Legacy of Love--songs which are not only harmonically demanding, but also thematically challenging. It's one thing to sing in pitch and keep a steady rhythm, but an entirely different challenge to make an audience feel, to take them somewhere else in a song. And the VI does that so well.
With the 'Triple One', Shazlan has truly shown that he is to the choir what Bono is to U2, and I look forward to many great choral pieces from this budding composer. Amidst the sadness of being so close, and yet so far, I realised that the VI's four-year victory from 2001 to 2004 was always taken for granted. Success can inspire; but defeat often teaches more valuable lessons. Like progress, for one. Li-Shia and Stanley have come so far over the last year, performing with so much more energy and enthusiasm this time around.
In many ways, I am grateful that over the last seven years, I've only won one essay competition, one debate tournament and one Forensics gold medal. And these I won in the last year I could participate; the essay and medal this year, and the debate in Form 5. My failures far outnumber my triumphs; but whenever the 100th blow breaks a boulder, it's always the 99 that came before it that really caused the damage. So it is that no failure has ever stopped me from carrying on.
My journeys have taken about five years each, but none of the active members of the choir have had more than two years of experience. Yet I see in them a flame that, though weak now, can erupt into a blazing fire someday. Li-Shia, if you're reading this, I'm still waiting for you to win Best Conductor in a major conducting competition, and I'll be there for the Gala Performance when you conduct a professional choir in the future!
Thinking of success and defeat, I am reminded of Rudyard Kipling's words in his poem, 'If':
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master;
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same...
Why imposters? I think triumph can breed complacency and also turn passion into pressure, while disaster can shatter the spirit and kill enthusiasm. Dreams and thoughts always point to a greater reality, to something other than ourselves. But the moment they become goals in themselves, we have turned our world inwards; we live for nothing but ourselves. So long as the adventure is undertaken for its sake alone, and not for winning or losing, we can and will profit much.
The 13th chapter of Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life is called 'Trust LITTLE Deeds', and reading it yesterday, I felt it spoke to the events of the morning. Here are some quotes from the chapter:
"Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings?"
--Zechariah 4:10 (The Message)
Many things start small. Like the early church following Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension. Or even the life of Jesus, which began in a manger in some obscure corner of Bethlehem. Jesus himself said:
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches... The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough."
--Matthew 13:31-33 (NLT)
Lucado asks:
Where are the Romans who crucified Christ? The Epicureans who demeaned and debated Paul? The Gnostics who mocked the early church? And the great temples of Corinth? They dwarfed the infant church. Do worshippers still sacrifice to Zeus? No, but they still sing to Jesus.
And he ends the chapter by quoting John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church:
God inhabits the tiny seed, empowers the tiny deed. He cures the common life by giving no common life, by offering no common gifts. [Wesley said,] "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Don't discount the smallness of your deeds.
It's not just about the choir; it addresses virtually all small beginnings. The little things like essays written, words of encouragement spoken, prayers said but unheard by anyone else... God notices all these things. I speak from experience. I'll always remember the day Kenneth (Christian Union president, 2002) prayed with me in 2000; he was in Form 3, I in Form 1. It was raining heavily and I was in the class where we usually had our prayer meetings. No one else was there, but he spotted me and said, "I'll pray with you."
He probably doesn't remember that day, but I do. And I've never forgotten the lesson: there is no number too small, no adversity so great, no darkness so powerful, that a good deed cannot be done. A seed can be sown in the midst of a hurricane as much as in calm weather. I've never given up on my juniors because me seniors never gave up on me; all that I am, I owe to them. Our lives influence others, for better or worse. And so I find God's words justified: do not despise the day of small beginnings!
Enough words. I'd like to introduce what I consider to be the best picture of the day. The zoom-through worked perfectly on this shot, and there is both a feeling of static stability and fluid motion here. A choir works by allowing melodies to flow freely, yet work cohesively on a foundation of harmony; I feel this is the visual representation of that concept:
Back in school, we witnessed performances in the VI by the Melbourne High School Boys' Choir and the Hong Kong Yip's Children Choir. I still wonder why the performances were held after school, when there's hardly an audience available. At least the choirs from St Mary's Secondary School and SMK Cheras (both also finalists, with St Mary's emerging second runners-up) came to watch as well.
And then, almost out of nowhere, Kok Kin appeared after the show. He's back with a Masters in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE), and will be staying till the end of the month. He suggested the following shot, and likes it very much. I've decided to call it 'Spaces':
I sent Li-Shia this SMS the day before the competition:
I've been encouraged by the choir over the last few weeks. Surely you'll bring the walls down tomorrow. Go out there, wave your arms BOLDLY, sing your hearts out! Give thanks to GOD whatever the outcome, for He's given us ears to listen and voices to sing. May your performance bring glory to Him alone, and maybe a tear or two to me. An HONOUR to know you ALL.
Pretty ironic. I looked forward to hearing the choir. But I didn't manage to, as I was busy taking photos. Perhaps next time I'll hang the camera and just sit back, relax and enjoy. ;-)
At any rate, the journey doesn't end here. I think it's just beginning. Congratulations, VI!
(Note: the Finals this year was at the Old VI, just like last year. It's now called the Taman Budaya, NOT Laman Budaya as I erroneously stated last year.)
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