One last song: Some 2,500 people including students, teachers and Board of Directors of Chong Hwa High School in Kluang, Johor lined the roadside leading to the school Monday morning (June 23, 2025) for a funeral procession.
They sang the school song to the late principal Goh Siew Yin when the hearse made a brief stop at the school’s entrance.
Siew Yin who had served in the school for 30 years passed away suddenly on June 20, 2025.
An exemplary figure who is loved and cherished by many who knew her, she thrived in adversity and her life story is one that redefines success in her own way.
A brilliant career spanning five decades, Siew Yin became her family’s breadwinner at the age of 17, cycling to give tuition to students in her hometown in Ipoh, Perak.
Her last position was the principal of a high -performance school, Chong Hwa High School in Kluang.
Those were the days …Siew Yin (third row, 10th from left) with her classmates and teacher from Raja Perempuan Secondary School in Ipoh, Perak in the 1970s.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com.
June 26, 2025
Photos of wake and funeral : johor.sinchew.com.my
LIKE her classmates, Siew Yin was also a giggling teenager.
But she was always the one who quickly put the situation together and got down to business.
In fact Siew Yin’s charisma and leadership was apparent from a young age.
The smartest and brightest among her circle of classmates, Siew Yin was also the life of the party.
Due to financial constraints, she became a tuition teacher right after completing her MCE (Malaysia Certificate of Education equivalent to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) at the age of 17.
Overnight the teenager became the breadwinner of her family (her mother and elder sister).
Rain or shine, Siew Yin from Ipoh would ride a bicycle to her students’ house to give tuition.
She moved into the next phase of her life in the late 1990s after she got married and settled down in Johor.
She went on to become a teacher and pursued her tertiary education on a part time basis, commuting between Kluang and Kuala Lumpur.
Last year, Siew Yin who has a degree and Masters, was promoted to principal of Chong Hwa High School, Kluang – a high -performance school where she had served for the last 30 years.
And her only child, Liew Jia Yee in her 20s, has graduated from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and working in the city state currently.
” For once Siew Yin was talking about retirement end of this year (2025),” recalls her friend Chut Fong who has kept in touch with her all the while.
But it was not meant to be.
Siew Yin passed away unexpectedly in Kluang last Friday (June 20, 2025).
She was due for retirement end of the year after 50 years of teaching; comprising 20 years as a tuition teacher in Ipoh and 30 years as a teacher in Chong Hwa High School, Kluang.
A happy occasion…Siew Yin was the bridesmaid for her friend Hau Yeen in 1984.
Family together…Siew Yin with her husband Liew Koi Song and their daughter Jia Yee in 2023.
A mother’s dream come true …Jia Yee is Siew Yin’s pride and joy and her graduation marked a milestone in her life.
Best friends… (from left: Hau Yeen, Yoot Moey, Chut Fong and Siew Yin) during one of their gatherings in Ipoh in December 2019.
The last gathering…It was May 11, 2025 when (from left) Siew Yin, Chut Fong, Sau Kuen, Yoot Moey and Hau Yeen met in Ipoh for lunch and dinner. Siew Yin’s health conditions deteriorated suddenly end of the month.
A solemn occasion…Friends, colleagues and students came to pay their last respects to Siew Yin who passed away in Kluang on June 20, 2025.
Building on his deep love and fascination for Ludwig van Beethoven’s music … Malaysian concert pianist Lee Jae Phang has performed 16 sonatas in public from memory! He marked another milestone on May 24, 2025 with his recital Beethoven The Piano Sonatas Part IV that won him a standing ovation at Yamaha Music Malaysia in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, followed by another recital at the LS Music Yamaha, Kuala Lumpur the next day.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
June 2, 2025.
Photos: Courtesy of Lee Jae Phang.
Program for the 91-minute- long recital Beethoven The Piano Sonatas Part lV :
Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 7 (32 mins)
Sonata in G major, Op. 31, No. 1 (26 mins)
intermission
Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 (14 mins)
Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique’ (19 mins)
Lee Jae’s profound interpretation of Beethoven’s music and deep connection with the composer led him record almost all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas totaling more than 11 hours of music, and the masterpieces are available on his YouTube channel.
The international award- winning pianist has performed across Europe and Asia, and he won, among others, the Audience Prize and the 1st Beethoven Performance Award of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe & Beethoven in Altaussee Festival 2016 prize in Austria.
Lee Jae began studying seriously for a career in music when he was awarded a full scholarship to study as a specialist pianist at the Wells Cathedral School (WCS) in Somerset, England, UK.
He continued his musical education at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester in September 2012 and five years later graduated with a Master of Music in Performance with Distinction.
In 2017, Lee Jae was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music with Distinction.
A concert pianist, teacher and writer…Lee Jae performed Beethoven The Piano Sonatas Part IV on a Yamaha S6 Grand Piano at Yamaha Music Malaysia in Petaling Jaya on May 24, 2025.
A topic of interest … How to practice piano was raised at the end of the recital.
On Beethoven’s music … Lee Jae gave a brief introduction of the sonatas at the start of the recital.
An in-depth analysis of the sonatas by Lee Jae.
Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 7
This sonata was published in 1796 as ‘Grande Sonate’. The title is appropriate because it is indeed the longest of Beethoven’s early piano sonatas.
It was also called ‘Grande Sonate’ because it was published alone, and not as part of a set. Sonatas Nos. 1 to 3 form the Op. 2 set while Sonatas Nos. 5 to 7 form the Op. 10 set.
The Op. 7 sonata was composed during Beethoven’s visit to the Keglevich palace in November 1796 and it is dedicated to his piano student Countess Babette of Keglevich.
The first movement is grand and features extremely contrasting characters and intriguing modulations. It was probably inspired by Haydn’s final piano sonata in the same key, written only 2 years earlier.
The second movement starts off with a somewhat fragmented opening. The silences in the opening bars give the music a sense of space, contemplation, and most importantly, deep expression.
The middle section of this movement features the same pizzicato accompaniment above a chorale-like melody which we heard in the Largo movement of the A major sonata, Op. 2, No. 2.
The third movement fools us with the simplicity of its opening theme.
In the middle “Minore” section, Beethoven paints a stormy and threatening landscape in the tonic minor of Eb minor.
The fourth and final movement is a Rondo movement with a lyrical theme.
Listen out for the unexpected modulation to E major near the end.
This is perhaps another nod to Haydn, his former composition teacher who cast the second movement of this final sonata in the same key.
Sonata in G major, Op. 31, No. 1
Unlike Op. 7, this sonata is part of a set of three sonatas, which were published together in 1803.
The G major sonata itself was composed between 1801 and 1802.
The important thing to note about this sonata is that it is very un-Beethovenian.
This is one of Beethoven’s truly funny creations.
In the first few bars of the opening movement, the listener is made to believe that the pianist cannot play chords neatly together.
Beethoven achieves this by repeatedly instructing the pianist’s RH to anticipate the LH a semiquaver early.
In the second movement, Beethoven parodies Italian lyric opera. Beethoven’s usual concentration and economical writing takes a back seat in this movement: there are ornaments everywhere and even two show-off cadenzas.
In the final movement, also a rondo, Beethoven continues the light mood of the first two movements.
The theme of the movement could be said to be a Gassenhauer tune.
Gassenhauer was the name given to tunes that are so simple that everybody could sing them on the streets, or in the “Gassen”, which is German for lanes or alleys.
My favourite anecdote about this sonata comes from its publication.
Beethoven had sent this sonata to the Swiss publisher Nägeli in Zurich to be printed.
Due to the sonata’s unusual nature, the publisher probably thought that Beethoven had made a mistake and added 4 bars to the start of the coda in the first movement.
Furthermore, it seems that the proofs of the first edition were not sent to Beethoven, and Nägeli published the sonata without giving Beethoven a chance to offer corrections.
When the obligatory copy arrived at Beethoven’s home, he was in the midst of composing.
Ferdinand Ries, a friend and pupil of Beethoven’s, relates that Beethoven asked him to play the sonata through while Beethoven himself remained seated at his desk.
There was an unusual number of errors which already made Beethoven impatient.
When Ries got to those four extra bars, and I quote Ries now,
‘Beethoven jumped up in a rage, came running to me, half pushed me away from the pianoforte, shouting, “where the devil do you find that?”
One can scarcely imagine his amazement and rage when he saw the printed notes.
I received the commission to make a record of all the errors and at once sent the sonatas to Simrock in Bonn, who was to make a reprint and call it “Edition trés correcte” (“Very correct edition”).
Sonata in E minor, Op. 90.
This sonata was written in the summer of 1814 and published in June the following year.
With this sonata, we skip ahead to the very end of Beethoven’s middle compositional period and the start of his late compositional period.
The late period works feature among other things a greater concern with lyricism that is now combined with a newfound intimacy and delicacy.
There is also a greater interest in counterpoint. In the Op. 101 sonata which I performed in the previous recital for example, the whole middle section of the final movement was a fugue.
In this sonata Op. 90, he does not write a fugue, but I would like to invite you to listen out for traces of Bach’s influence here.
Like the G major sonata I performed earlier, there’s a nice story that accompanies this sonata.
Beethoven dedicated the sonata to Prince Moritz von Lichnowsky, who was a friend and benefactor. Beethoven also dedicated the “Eroica” piano variations to him.
Anyway, another gentleman named Anton Schindler, who was a friend and biographer of Beethoven’s, reported in his 1842 book titled “Beethoven in Paris” that the sonata’s two movements were originally to be titled “Kampf zwischen Kopf und Herz” (“A Contest between Head and Heart”) and “Conversation mit der Geliebten” (“Conversation with the Beloved”).
Schindler wrote that the titles refer to Moritz’s romance with a woman he was thinking of marrying.
This lady eventually became his second wife.
Later studies by scholars showed that the story was almost certainly invented by Schindler, at least in part, and that he went so far as to forge an entry in one of the conversation books to validate the anecdote.
Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique’
It was composed in 1798, published the year after, and dedicated to Moritz’s older brother: Prince Karl von Lichnowsky.
The publisher was impressed by the sonata’s tragic sonorities that he named it “Grande sonate pathétique”.
The word “pathétique” comes from the French and means “creating sad and strong emotions”.
It also comes from the Greek word “pathetikos”, which means “capable of emotion, impassioned, sensitive”.
This sonata was an important success for Beethoven as it sold well and helped develop his reputation as a composer and not just as an extraordinary pianist.
Musicologists have over the years speculated on whether this sonata may have been inspired by Mozart’s C minor piano sonata, K. 457.
The theme from Beethoven’s second movement is remarkably like one of the themes in Mozart’s second movement.
Bach’s Partita No. 2 may also have inspired Beethoven.
The opening fanfare of the Partita is also marked “Grave” and the “Andante” which follows begins with the same four notes that feature in important points in Beethoven’s sonata.
An evening of great music…Cellist Steven Retallick, violinist Dino Akira Decena and pianist Lee Jae Phang presented two great masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire in Kuala Lumpur on March 2, 2025.
The hour long concert opened to a packed hall and was met with several rounds of enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49
I. Molto allegro agitato
II. Andante con moto tranquillo
III. Scherzo. Leggiero e vivace
IV. Finale. Allegro assai appassionato
Ravel Piano Trio in A minor, M. 67
I. Modéré
II. Pantoum: Assez vif
III. Passacaille: Très large
IV. Final: Animé
Among the highlights… a short extract from the final movement of the Ravel during the concert in Kuala Lumpur on March 2, 2025.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Feb 15, 2025
updated: March 4, 2025
Maurice Ravel’s piano trio, completed in 1914, gained inspiration from a wide variety of sources; from Basque dance to Malaysian poetry (pantun in Bahasa Malaysia)
The second movement – “Pantoum” – is a poetic form derived from the pantun.
“Ravel adopted an orchestral approach while composing his trio and created a texture of sound unusually rich for a chamber music work.
“It is unique in the repertoire for its luxuriance of colour and its brilliance,” says Lee Jae.
The concert “Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth” is to celebrate the works of Ravel who is one of France’s greatest composers.
Ravel was born on March 7.
Ravel’s Trio will be paired with Mendelssohn’s D minor piano trio – an audience favourite since its premiere in 1840.
Lee Jae says Robert Schumann famously declared it as “The master-trio of the 19th century that will continue to delight future generations”.
Full house : Concert pianist Lee Jae Phang, violinist Dino Akira Decena and cellist Steven Retallick performing piano trios at the Grand Opening of the First Edition of the European Music Cultures Festival (Nov 1 – 3, 2024) in Cambodia.
Steven Retallick is an Australian citizen, born in Amsterdam to a family of musicians.
He moved to London at an early age and was educated at the Purcell School, a specialist music school, before attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed his cello studies under Professor Stefan Popov.
Throughout his career, Steven Retallick has worked professionally with various orchestras, including the Orquesta Sinfónica de Asturias and Orquesta Ciudad de Granada in Spain, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Wichita Symphony in the USA, the Royal Bangkok Symphony in Thailand, Opera Australia and the Adelaide Symphony in Australia, and the Ulster Orchestra, London Symphony, and Philharmonia Orchestra in the UK.
Steven has also guested Principal with the Singapore Symphony, the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand, the Sun Symphony Orchestra in Vietnam, and from 1998 to 2021, he was Co-Principal with the Malaysian Philharmonic.
His solo performances include the cello concerto by Gavin Bryars with the Malaysian Philharmonic, “Snapshots,” a commissioned work for cello and orchestra by Adeline Wong, also with the Malaysian Philharmonic, and the Malaysian premiere of Schnittke’s Epilog.
Dino Akira Decena is one of the Philippines’ most accomplished and sought-after violinists, renowned for his exceptional talent as both a soloist and chamber musician.
He has performed with nearly all major orchestras and chamber groups in the country.
Dino has held prominent positions, including associate
concertmaster for The Phantom of the Opera (2012)
and Les Miserables (2016) in Manila, concertmaster
for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, and violinist for Miss Saigon in Manila and Taiwan.
He has also performed with various notable groups, such as the Metro Pop Orchestra, the Filharmonika Orchestra, and the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, and in productions like
Star Wars: A New Hope and Do You Hear the People Sing?
Dino continues to contribute to the arts as a violin teacher at St. Paul University, Sta. Isabel College of Manila, St. Scholastica’s College of Manila, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth, and he teaches violin to children of pastors at the Maranatha Christian Academy.
Lee Jae Phang is a Malaysian concert pianist, teacher, accompanist, and chamber musician.
He has performed in the UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Beijing, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Malaysia, during which he also worked with conductors such as Christopher Adey, Mark Heron, Davide Levi, Nick Meredith, Frank Lennon, Dr. Martin Cook, and Mihnea Ignat.
During his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, his piano trio Trio Lazuli performed around the UK and they had masterclasses with Kathryn Stott (duo partner of Yo-Yo Ma), Frans Helmerson, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Jeremy Young, Wu Qian, and Sasha Sitkovetsky.
Lee Jae himself also had piano masterclasses with Stephen Hough CBE, The Juilliard School faculty members Jerome Lowenthal and Matti Raekallio, French pianists Philippe Cassard, Michel Béroff, and Bernard d’Ascoli, British pianists Christopher Elton, Vanessa Latarche, Ronan O’Hora, and other renowned pianists such as Nelson Goerner, Vovka Ashkenazy, and Daniel Shapiro.
In addition to receiving many awards, scholarships, funds, and winning many other competitions, Lee Jae won the ‘1st Beethoven Performance Award of the BPSE & Beethoven in Altaussee Festival 2016’ prize in Austria.
Given his deep love and fascination for Beethoven’s music, Lee Jae has recorded almost all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas and published them on his YouTube channel – these sonatas being ranked amongst the highest Himalayan peaks of a pianist’s repertoire.
Great musical partners: (from left) Dino Akira Decena, Lee Jae Phang and Steven Retallick at the Grand Opening of the First Edition of the European Music Cultures Festival (Nov 1 – 3, 2024) in Cambodia.
Concert pianist and teacher Lee Jae Phang says his musical arrangement this year unites the famous Gong Xi Gong Xi (Congratulations, Congratulations) with a variation on it and a new tune, both composed by him.
Combining his musical imagination and creativity , he succeeded in bringing out the month-long festive mood in the three-minute arrangement and piano recital.
The upbeat Gong Xi Gong Xi at one point takes on a hurried character that denotes frenzy festive shopping amidst decorations in malls and streets flowing with the colours of red, yellow and gold – a symbol of prosperity for the Chinese.
In keeping with the Year of the Snake theme, he says the new melody also coils around itself, recalling the music of the snake charmers of Asia.
Beneath the hustle and bustle, the happier feelings that comes with the new year celebrations saw the new tune kicks in half way into the arrangement.
“The new tune is lyrical and folklike with a lilting accompaniment that complements it in character,” says Lee Jae, of the celebrations which placed importance on family reunion, friendship and a thriving community.
An arrangement that befits an auspicious occasion, Lee Jae describes the final section:
“Gong Xi Gong Xi theme returns cautiously at first, and builds to a climax.
“Handfuls of chords create richer harmonies in the piano, a grand culmination of the variety of musical emotions that were explored in the piece.
” You will also hear Chinese drums in the bass rounding off this final section.”
Hope-turns- despair…Cold and confused, a pet dog named Pudding cuts a lone figure at the entrance to its village in Yeonggwang County, South Korea waiting for its family’s return.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Jan 4, 2025
Every approaching vehicle brings Pudding hope that quickly turns despair as they zoomed past with no sight of its loved ones.
But Pudding never give up hope to be with them again.
Just days earlier, Pudding and nine of its family members bade farewell happily before leaving for a holiday in Thailand.
Little did they know that it was their last farewell.
Pudding’s family members were among the 179 people killed in the Jeju Air Flight 2216 that crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea in the morning of December 29, 2024.
The plane, from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport with 181 on board, 175 passengers plus six crew members, saw two survivors. Both were crew members.
While Pudding is still waiting in vain for their return – the tragedy that unfolded at Muan International Airport, about 50 minutes drive from its village, also South Korea’s worst aviation disaster in the country’s history- sent shock waves across the world.
The head of Pudding’s family is a 79-year-old grandfather.
He, his wife , two daughters, a son-in-law and four grandchildren were among the 179 fatalities .
Where are you…Pudding longing for its family.
On new year’s eve, South Korea’s animal rescue group , Care (Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth ) posted on social media that they have rescued Pudding who is now under their custody until they found a home for him.
According to Care, they have received permission from a family member to rescue Pudding found wandering alone in the open amidst harsh weather conditions.
Care has sent Pudding for health checks at a veterinary hospital in Seoul.
The story of Pudding was reported in The Korea Times on Jan 2, 2025, followed by some media organizations all over the world.
Photos :The Korea Times captured from Care’s Instagram.
Update: Jan 7, 2025
Photos at the memorial : The Korea Times. Credited to Yonhap
A picture is worth a thousand words.
On Sunday (Jan 5, 2025) afternoon, a week after the crash, Pudding pay its last respects to its family members at a joint memorial altar set up in front of Seoul City Hall in Seoul, reported The Korea Times on Jan 6, 2025.
Clad in a blue outfit and with its gaze fixed on the altar, Pudding did not bark even once throughout the service.
Its attention zoomed in on its family’s memorial tablet as head of Care, Kim Young-Hwan, read a eulogy.
The Korea Times report quoting a temporary caretaker from Care said: “At home, Pudding often looks at the front door, seemingly listless. The dog gets excited just hearing the leash, wanting to go outside.”
Celebrate the power of music…International concert pianist Lee Jae Phang delivered a series of high-profile performances in Cambodia recently. The Grand Opening of the First Edition of the European Music Cultures Festival (Nov 1 – 3, 2024) saw him sharing the stage with violinist Dino Akira Decena and cellist Steven Retallick, performing piano trios to a full house. At the festival’s Grand Finale , Lee Jae who performed a solo piano recital was honoured with a very rare standing ovation – a testament to the festival’ s success.
Photos: Courtesy of Lee Jae Phang
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com.
Nov 14, 2024
Held at the luxurious Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, the festival was attended by local audiences as well as ambassadors, dignitaries, and invited guests.
Present at the event were the EU Ambassador to Cambodia (H.E. Igor Driesmans), the German Ambassador to Cambodia (H.E. Stefan Messerer), the Ukrainian Ambassador to Cambodia (H.E. Oleksandr Gaman) and Ukrainian First Secretary (Kseniia Ohorondyk).
An honour: This trip also saw Lee Jae performed a solo piano recital for invited dignitaries and guests at the German Embassy in Phnom Penh .(from left) Christoph Stadtler, H. E. Jacques Pellet (the Ambassador of France to Cambodia) and H. E. Stefan Messerer (the Ambassador of Germany to Cambodia) and their spouses, Lee Jae and Anton Isselhardt.
Simply brilliant: Lee Jae who performed a solo piano recital at the festival’s Grand Finale received a standing ovation.
This year’s festival spotlighted music written by composers who have lived and worked either in Leipzig, Prague, Budapest, or Kyiv.
The audience was therefore treated to a wide variety of music, some of which is very rarely performed due to its complexity or the difficulty in obtaining the sheet music for it.
The specialty on the program for the Grand Opening was the piano trio by Vasyl Barvinsky (1888-1963) , a Ukrainian composer.
Lee Jae, Dino Akira Decena and Steven Retallick (named D.R.P. Trio after the first letter of the individual members’ surnames) presented the colourful program to a full house.
The audience showed their appreciation by their generous applause after each item on the program.
At the Grand Finale of the festival, Lee Jae presented a solo piano recital, celebrating the works of Lyatoshynsky, Reger, Lysenko, Szymanowski, Chopin, and Cambodian composer Bosba Panh.
Blending rich European and Cambodian influences into a captivating program, the audience who was visibly moved, honoured the performance with a very rare standing ovation – a testament to the impact of that remarkable evening and a fitting tribute to the festival’s success.
The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, the Delegation of the European Union, the German Embassy Phnom Penh, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Soundskool, and The Piano Shop Cambodia.
Collective power : (from left ) Kseniia Ohorondyk (Ukrainian First Secretary), Gabi Faja (CEO of Soundskool Music Cambodia and Director of The Piano Shop Cambodia), Anton Isselhardt (Artistic Director of European Music Cultures Festival), Lee Jae Phang (international concert pianist and piano pedagogue), H.E. Oleksandr Gaman (Ukrainian Ambassador to Cambodia) and his spouse, Dino Akira Decena (concertmaster of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra), Steven Retallick (former principal cellist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra), Christoph Stadtler (guest speaker for the pre-concert talk and professional guitarist).
Landmark: Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh
This trip also saw Lee Jae performed a solo piano recital for invited dignitaries and guests at the German Embassy in Phnom Penh.
True to the culture of the performance venue, Lee Jae presented a program that featured masterpieces by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin.
This was Lee Jae’s second time performing at the German Embassy and he says that it is always an honour and a delight to receive an invitation to perform there.
The audience applauded enthusiastically after every item on his program and he had the pleasure of speaking to some of them, including H.E. the Ambassador of South Korea to Cambodia Park Jung-wook, after the concert.
Lee Jae says this concert trip highlights the importance of always striving for and upholding high standards in music-making.
He says a high level of skill and a professional attitude has made it possible for him to learn all that music while teaching full-time back in Malaysia, let alone perform it for a series of events in a short space of time..
He notes that two days of intense rehearsals to put together an evening concert program was made possible with high calibre musicians like Dino Akira Decena, who is currently concertmaster of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and Steven Retallick, a former principal cellist at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
D.R.P. Trio : (from left) Dino Akira Decena, Lee Jae and Steven Retallick.
“The concerts also remind us of the power of music to bring people from different walks of life together.
“Let us appreciate the beautiful fact that the audience at the events comprised of individuals coming from different places around the world, with different backgrounds and lives.
“At those three evenings, these people came together to enjoy music written by a group of composers as diverse as themselves,” says Lee Jae.
Good synergy: Lee Jae and Anton Isselhardt (Artistic Director of European Music Cultures Festival ) after the Grand Finale recital. All smiles after a very successful performance and festival.
Local attraction: The central market and the iconic tuk-tuks in Phnom Penh.
Heritage: The Central Post Office in Phnom Penh, opened in 1895, was built during the French Colonial period.
Do Good…Carlsberg Malaysia , Top Ten Charity Concert and donors/supporters raised RM3,016,280.00 to treat poor patients. The noble cause is in line with Carlsberg’s corporate social responsibility while Top Ten Charity Concert boasts a 30 plus year track record in fundraising for the needy.
Rising healthcare cost is an increasing concern for many people these days.
Sick and cannot afford even the basic treatment is not uncommon.
Carlsberg Malaysia managing director Stefano Clini highlighted the importance of ESG (environmental, social and governance ) and its significance.
A fine tradition…Hitting the gong to mark the highlight of the fundraising event for UTAR Hospital Patient Welfare Fund at HGH Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 18, 2024.
The RM3,016, 280.00 donation gives hope to the poor seeking treatment in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Hospital (UTAR Hospital) in Kampar, Perak.
The hospital offers western medicine and traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM).
Unity is strength … RM3,016, 280.00 raised to treat poor patients in UTAR Hospital. Carlsberg Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung (third from left) and Carlsberg Malaysia managing director Stefano Clini ( (second from left) attended the fundraising event at HGH Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur on Oct 18, 2024.
Chor is also a UTAR council member.
The HGH Convention Centre management committee and its chairman Datuk Eddie Heng sponsored the venue and dinner for about 600 guests.
A vibrant performance at the Top Ten Charity Concert.
Young and talented performers at the Top Ten Charity Concert.
UTAR Hospital board chairman Tan Sri Dr Chuah Hean Teik gave an updateon UTAR Hospital.
Media Chinese International Ltd group senior general manager (media solution) Vincent Lee on the role of media in giving back to society.
The event was jointly organized by Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press and UTAR.
Making the grade: The joy and transformative power of music via deliberate daily practice, commitment to regular piano lessons and perseverance in the face of inevitable challenges along the way to improve one’s musical skills – piano teacher Lee Jae Phang.
Photo: A studio recital of Lee Jae’s piano students on Sept 7, 2024. Twenty nine of his students took part.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee @gmail.com
sept 25, 2024
A series on ABRSM Piano 2025 & 2026 by Lee Jae Phang.
Riding the waves of technology growth: Dr Lim Huat Seng’s first encounter with a computer was at the University of Queensland in Australia in the 1960s. And he went on to head the largest computer center among universities in South East Asia a decade later. The Colombo Plan scholar not only helped revolutionize the technology scene in Asia , but also showed that change is the only constant in this fast- evolving world. Dr Lim (second from left) his wife (third from left) Khoo Keow Gin visited King’s College, University of Queensland in 2014, 50 years after his enrolment at the residential college. With them were Master of King’s College and his wife. Photos: Courtesy of Dr Lim Huat Seng.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Sept 15, 2024
Young, married and holding stable jobs was the dream of many people in the old days.
Electrical engineer Dr Lim Huat Seng and his teacher wife Khoo Keow Gin who were high school sweethearts was no different.
But Dr Lim who was a maintenance engineer with Anglo Oriental Mining Corporation found life boring in the little tin mining town called Tanjung Tualang about 40 km from Ipoh, Perak.
It was in the late 1960s.
His dream was a career in the computer industry but computer was something hardly heard of in Malaysia then.
It was only in 1971 when Dr Lim got a major breakthrough.
In Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) vice chancellor Professor Tan Sri Hamzah Sendut and its School of Physics and Mathematics Dean Professor Dr Chatar Singh Beriam Singh had plans to set up a computer center and a computer science programme.
During the job interview, Dr Lim’s vision of the USM computer center – a very sophisticated and advanced computer system that not only caters to the needs of teaching and research, but also supports the industry in the private and public sector- won him the job.
He took the offer though the pay was 40% lower than that of his maintenance engineer job.
USM sent him to do his PhD in computer science in London University in 1971,
On track to a better future : Dr Lim as a PhD student in his computer laboratory in London in 1971.
He obtained his PhD in 1974, promoted to associate professor and made the founding head of USM’s computer center the following year.
As a leading innovation and research computer center, Dr Lim says its focus was on teaching, research, sell computer time and provide computer advisory and consultancy services to the private and public sectors.
“The then Penang Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu ( 1919 -2010) was so intrigued by what the computer could do that he came to the center to personally test it. And he was impressed,” recalls Dr Lim.
By 1977, USM’s computer center was the largest computer center among those in universities in South East Asia.
In 1979, Dr Lim left USM for Sime Darby Systems, Singapore.
By then, the computer was gaining traction in Asia; and countries including Singapore started to adopt the new technology in earnest in sectors like banking.
Dr Lim was riding the waves of this technology development and went on to make his mark in several large organizations over the next three decades – Keppel, Compaq Computer, Packard Bell Nec, Wearnes Technology, Multi Fineline Inc.
In 1989 , Compaq sent him to China as the managing director of North Asia, covering Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea – his first overseas posting out of Singapore.
Compaq – the world’s top personal computer manufacturer then – saw the huge business potential in China, and Dr Lim was tasked to set up a network of local dealers there.
Making history: Dr Lim (second from left) at the Compaq China World opening ceremony in Beijing in 1994.
While he is not fluent in Chinese, Dr Lim managed to build a close rapport with the dealers in China, and Compaq’s entry into China was a huge success.
Friendship conquers all : In Beijing 1990, Dr Lim (right) who spoke no Mandarin with his first China contact who spoke no English when they first met in 1989.
He recalls his first China contact who met him at the Beijing airport in 1989 holding a placard with his Chinese name.
“Language was no barrier. In fact he taught me almost anything I need to know about China.”
China in the early 1990s was undergoing rapid transformation in its economy.
Officials at all levels in the government and the business sector were navigating the newly -opened market economy, and to deal with them effectively required a good understanding of the Chinese culture, notes Dr Lim.
“Never confront ministers or senior government officials especially in public. Always be respectful and sensitive to people’s needs and situations ,” says Dr Lim of the dos and don’ts in doing business in China.
Citing examples, he singles out the phrase ” Ni you shenme wen ti” ( Do you have any problem? ) which was often used at the start of meetings in China.
Many people took it directly and started airing their concerns without any sensitivity , he adds , and that was when relationship got strained on the spot and business negotiations broke down suddenly.
While the concerns may be true or otherwise , the Chinese see it as an insult the way it was presented to them in a demanding manner.
Networking: Dr Lim (standing, left) held hands with the Governor of Shaanxi Province, Cheng Andong during a dinner in 1997.
Humility is important for the Chinese.
Citing a karaoke session with the dealers, Dr Lim says he sang a Chinese evergreen Green Island Serenade.
“I can remember the tune but I do not know nor recognize much of the lyrics . But we had a good time getting to know each other and forged a close relationship. The China guys really liked me. ”
And Compaq’s entry into the Chinese market was successful beyond expectation given that many were hesitant to venture into the market during that period, recalls Dr Lim, visibly proud of his three-year-stint in China that helped to shape the computer technology landscape there.
Technology transfer: Dr Lim (left) at the Tsinghua University Computer Education Centre which he helped set up in 1992.
China then was so different from China today, he recalls, adding that there were only two big hotels in Beijing – Shangrila Hotel and China World Hotel then.
The hotels closed its door to visitors at 11.00pm sharp and the city was dimly lit and all quiet by around 9.00pm.
Born and bred in Penang, Dr Lim who is the eldest of eight siblings comes across a people-centric person.
His family stayed on the first floor of a prewar shophouse and his father had a crockery business on the ground floor.
His father who started work at the age of 12 took over the shop selling crockery after his boss passed away.
Born in 1944 in the midst of World War 2, Dr Lim says his family was fortunate to survive the war.
Life was tough, and he nearly succumbed to typhoid at the age of five, he says, adding that he can still recalls that day when his parents rushed him to a doctor’s house for help.
Chinese New Year was a big celebration for the family – all the kids sharing one can of lychee drink once a year.
“We have to add sugar syrup so that we have enough for each of us,” says Dr Lim of his close-knitted family.
He studied in Penang Free School and was given a Colombo Plan scholarship to do electrical engineering in University of Queensland in Australia in 1964.
He was very prudent, and still is.
He managed to to set aside between AUD 50- 100 which was about 150 – 300 dollar in Malaysia then from the scholarship and sent home to help his family.
During his first year of vacation training (three months), he got a monthly allowance equivalent to 200 dollar in Malaysia and he gave all to his mother.
“It was the happiest time in her life and that of mine.
“Even a few hundred dollars made a big difference and the family can break out of poverty those days.”
Dr Lim and his wife were high school sweethearts in Penang Free School.
Khoo did teacher training which came with a 40 Malaysian dollar monthly allowance.
She continued to teach in Johor Baru when she and their two children followed Dr Lim to Singapore in 1980.
She commuted daily until she chalked up 25 years of service that qualified her for pension.
When Dr Lim was with Wearnes Technology in Singapore , he was known as the only CEO who came to work in a bus.
He was given an option , either the use of a company car (Jaguar ) or transport allowance.
He opted for the allowance as parking space was limited in his house.
A brilliant career spanning four decades, Dr Lim says a balance between family life and career is important.
Weekends were for the family and weekdays for work, he says, adding that he looked forward to both.
Any career has its fair share of ups and downs, and Dr Lim was able to navigate and thrive with perseverance, confidence in doing the right thing and the unwavering support from his loving wife.
Dr Lim who retired in 2010 continued to do some mentoring and advisory jobs until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
At 80, the couple have a son and a daughter who are in their early 50s now and grandchildren.
Their son is an Interventional Radiologist in Singapore while their daughter, a banker in Malaysia.
And Dr Lim and his wife enjoy their golden years shuttling between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to be with them.
Simply remarkable : Twenty-nine piano students with their piano teacher Lee Jae Phang put on a concert on Sept 7, 2024 – reflecting the diversity of musical styles written for piano and the unique musical tastes and current abilities of each student.
Nathaniel Lim Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star(Traditional); Lee Jie Jun Minuet in C (Reinagle); Jamie Pua Old FrenchSong(Tchaikovsky); Jiang Hanqin Arietta, Op.12 No 1 (Grieg); Leanne Lee Tarantella , Op. 77 n0. 6 (M0szkowski); Jaclynn Lai Finale: Tempo di minuet,from Sonata Hob XVI : 49 (Haydn); Johnson Guo Jackson Street Blues (MarthaMier); Ezra Chen Finale: Prestissimo, from Sonata Op. 10 No 1 (Beethoven); Kingston Koh Little Whale Explores the Calm Sea (Caroline Tyler) and VirginiaHall ( Shruthi Rajasekar); Teoh Shu Kheng Last Rose of Summer (Flotow); Kayleigh Cham ??:) (Traditional English); Tang Woan Torng Prelude in CMajor, from Book 1 of “The 48” (J. S. Bach); Jacob Lin O for Ole (JuneArmstrong) Jiang Hanlin Hunting Song (Schumann); Jacob Yong Songswithout Words, Op. 19 No 1 (Mendelssohn) ; Wong Jannelle Allegro in F (Handel); Joshua Chen Allegro, from Sonata, Op. 14 No. 2 (Beethoven); Lim Hui San Prelude forLeft Hand, Op. 9 Scriabin); Anna Liew Gavotte (Telemann); Ian Fong Eveningin the Village (Bartok); Brandon Thean Allegretto in C (Diabelli) and VirginiaHall (Shruti Rajasekar); Willian Poh In the Groove (Mike Cornick); Ashley Thean Fur Elise (Beethoven); Natalie Peh Modere, from Sonatien(Ravel);Natalie Peh and Teacher Lee Jae Allegro Molto, from Sonata forPiano,4 hands, K. 381 (Mozart); Andrew Tah Gamelan, No. 1 from Java Suite(Godowsky); Chong Ray Shuen New Kid (Christopher Norton); Daniel Tan Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79 No. 2 (Brahms); Yoshua Yong The Ultimate Price(Evan Call, arranged by Animenz); Paulson Loh Moderato Cantabile (Diabelli).
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Sept 12, 2024
Describing the event as ” A concert for the students and by the students”, Lee Jae says it is a celebration of their efforts, achievements and progress so far.
“It is a great learning experience for students because they sharpen their planning and preparation skills.
“With a deadline looming and a goal to reach , it becomes more critical that practice is done efficiently,” says Lee Jae at the opening of the concert in Yamaha Festival Hall, Yamaha Music Centre in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
Also a concert pianist, Lee Jae says performing to a live audience also trains students to learn to overcome stage fright.
And to maximize the learning experience, each student gives a brief introduction of themselves and their chosen piece before playing.
The ability to connect with people via performance and public speaking is a communication style and asset that comes with learning and practice.
Photos: Courtesy of Lee Jae Phang.
Students play on the Yamaha S6 grand piano.
Learning the piano or learning music itself is a lifelong pursuit.
Regardless of where one is on one’s journey, Lee Jae says there is always something new to learn – develop a new skill, refine one which we have learnt, deepen our musical understanding, and discover new composers and their compositions.
“Each and every student performing today is a traveller on this long and beautiful musical journey.
“While we may not be taking the exact same road, we all are heading towards the same destination, and that destination is excellence in music.
“Hard work, commitment, honesty to oneself, perseverance and the love for music are part and parcel of the pursuit of excellence in music.”
