FOBISIA Choral Festival

Hosted by Bangkok Prep School, our students joined forces with 8 other school choirs across Asia to learn a wide range of choral music. All students took part in an intensive rehearsal programme led by several choral specialists. As well as learning to perform the repertoire, students spent considerable time developing their technique, including breath control, vocal agility and intonation. During a rehearsal of ‘JAM!’, a Malaysian piece composed by Tracy Wong,  Wei Xuan of Year 8 fearlessly volunteered to demonstrate the Malay pronunciation of the text. Shyen Yii was also commended for her fantastic top A’s!

After 2 full days of rehearsals, the festival culminated in a large-scale concert that involved all 200 students. The performance was conducted by professional choral conductor Susanna Saw, the founder and director of the Young Choral Academy in Malaysia. As well as the combined pieces, the BSKL FOBISIA Choir also performed a solo item, ‘Evening Rise, Spirit Come’. This Native American a cappella piece was sung in 5 parts and accompanied by Abeer, Year 8 on the djembe. The professional recording of the concert will be published next week and we will share it with the BSKL community. 

'To say that I feel proud of our students is a huge understatement. Not only did they sing incredibly well, they also displayed a great deal of stamina, discipline, and teamwork, all of which are vitally important when it comes to developing musicianship. I am very much looking forward to our next trip!' said Anna Moreton.



Student Testimonials

The FOBISIA Choral Festival was one of the best experiences throughout my final year at BSKL. Whether we were on the bus, plane, or even in the hotel lobby, you could always hear someone singing; the energy was contagious! I bonded and laughed with my new friends, making memories that I will cherish after I graduate. As we all stood on stage to take our final bow, I truly felt that the past few weeks of hard work paid off. The community in Bangkok was also extremely welcoming, and the food was so good it could rival Malaysia’s! Thank you to all the teachers and students who poured their heart and soul into this trip - it was truly unforgettable.
- Ashley, Year 13

I really enjoyed being with my friends throughout the trip - during rehearsals, between breaks, on the bus, and at the hotel. I also enjoyed jamming with Paxton in the music room! My favourite piece from the selection of music we sang was "Eja Eja", because of its contemporary feel and catchy melody. 
- Abeer, Year 8

I really enjoyed travelling to Bangkok and performing ‘Evening Rise’ with my friends on stage. In my opinion, the best piece of music that we performed with the other choirs was ‘JAM!’. It is very fun and energetic, and everyone looked like they were really enjoying the music! I would like to thank Miss Howarth, Ms Moreton, Ms Vinson and Mr Nguyen for taking us on this trip as it could not have happened without them.
- Yeri, Year 6

Our trip to Bangkok was really enjoyable, especially because I was able to go with my friends and collaborate with students from other schools. I learned a lot about choral music from Susanna Saw who conducted the concert. It was an honour to work alongside so many talented people and to participate in the Choral Festival this year.
- Gini, Year 8